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Purchased    by  the   Hamill    Missionary   Fund. 


BV  3427 

.T5 

W74  1908 

Wright, 

Henry 

Burt,  1877- 

1923. 

A  life  ^ 

ivith 

a 

purpose 

A  LIFE  WITH  A  PURPOSE 


JOHN    LAWRENCE    THURSTON 


A  Life  With  a  Purpose 


A  Memorial  of  John  Lawrence  Thurston 
First   Missionary   of  the   Yale   Mission 


Byv^ 
HENRY  B.  WRIGHT 


A  simple  purpose  may  be  to  him  as  strong  as  iron  necessity 
is  to  others.'" — Emerson  {Self -Reliance.) 


New  York         Chicago         Toronto 

Fleming  H.  Revell  Company 

London       and       Edinburgh 


Copyright,   1908,  by 
FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY 


New  York:  158  Fifth  Avenue 
Chicago:  80  Wabash  Avenue 
Toronto:  25  Richmond  Street,  W. 
London:  21  Paternoster  Square 
Edinburgh:      100    Princes    Street 


To  the  home  circle  in  Amer^ 
icUy  and  to  her  who  has  so 
bravely  returned  alone  to  China 
to    continue    his    work    there. 


PREFACE 

THIS  book  is  the  simple  record  of  a  life  with  a 
purpose.  It  is  the  biography  of  a  young  man 
who  strove  first  to  know  and  then  to  do  the  will 
of  God.  If  the  requirements  of  strict  adherence  to  truth  in 
the  presentation  of  facts  have  been  met,  the  contents, 
though  they  may  serve  no  higher  purpose,  cannot  fail  to 
be  of  a  certain  scientific  value,  however  unskillful  may 
have  been  the  pen  to  which  the  responsibility  of  the  tell- 
ing has  been  entrusted.  In  each  succeeding  generation 
there  is  an  increasing  number  of  men  who  believe  that 
God  reveals  His  thoughts  and  plans  for  the  world  mainly 
through  those  human  lives  in  which  He  is  allowed  to  work 
out  with  fullness  His  will.  Modern  philosophy  assures  us 
that  each  life  which  does  the  will  of  God  becomes  by  that 
act  the  incarnation  of  a  thought  of  God,  which  may  there- 
after be  known  and  read  of  all  men.  If  this  be  true, 
there  can  be  few  better  laboratories  in  which  to  pursue 
that  greatest  of  all  researches — the  study  of  the  mind  of 
God, — than  in  a  library  of  faithful  records  of  the  lives  of 
those  men  and  women  who  have  borne  the  unmistakable 
stamp  of  having  been  His  mouthpieces  and  colabourers. 
Lawrence  Thurston's  life  bore  precisely  such  a  stamp, 
and  it  is  for  this  reason  that  his  friends  have  united  in  the 
preparation  of  a  memorial.  The  book  is  not  the  work  of 
a  single  hand.  Those  who  knew  him  best,  some  in  the 
home,  others  in  the  years  of  preparation,  and  others  still 
in  the  shorter  period  of  pioneer  service  on  the  field,  have 
given  generously  of  time  and  thought  to  complete  a  true 

7 


8  Preface 

and  faithful  record :  and  there  is  not  a  single  chapter  in 
which  the  words  of  his  own  correspondence  do  not  reveal 
better  than  friends  could  tell,  the  greatness  of  the  simple 
purpose  of  his  hfe. 

The  unanimity  of  opinion  regarding  Lawrence  among 
the  contributors  to  the  volume,  who  reached  their  con- 
clusions independently  of  one  another,  would  seem  to 
justify  the  attempt  in  the  opening  chapter  to  formulate 
and  to  interpret  that  particular  thought  of  God  which  in 
him  became  incarnate.     The  life  of  Lawrence  Thurston 
brings  a  different  message  to  the  college  students  of  the 
world  from  that  of  the  hfe  of  Hugh  Beaver  or  of  Horace 
Pitkin  or  of  Horace  Rose.     It  reiterates  a  fundamental 
principle  of  Christ  which  mankind  in  its  search  after 
leaders  has  largely  forgotten,  and  the  obscuring  of  which 
has  kept  many  a  man  in  our  time  content  to  live  but  half 
a  life.     It  demonstrates  the  great  and  eternal  truth  that  in 
the  kingdom  of  God  no  man  need  belong  to  the  rank 
and  file  of  men,  and  that,  through  the  miracle  of  obedi- 
ence, every  man  whom  the  world  is  pleased  to  call  ordi- 
nary may  become  extraordinary,  since,  by  the  grace  of 
God,  all  men  were  "  born  to  be  kings."     It  establishes 
what  Bushnell  once  affirmed ;  that  God  is  girding  every 
man  for  a  place  and  a  calling,  in  which,  taking  it  from 
him,  even  though  it  be  internally  humble,  he  may  be  as 
consciously  exalted  as  if  he  held  the  rule  of  a  kingdom. 


CONTENTS 

I.  The  Miracle  of  Obedience 

II.  Home  Life  and  Early  Training 

III.  Four  Years  at  Yale 

IV.  The  Yale  Missionary  Band 

V.  Theological  Seminary 

VI.  The  Island  Camp       .... 

VII.  The  Yale  Mission  to  China — Lawrence': 

Appointment  .... 

VIII.  The  Pioneer  Missionary   . 

IX.  The  Chang-Sha  Invitation 

X.  "  Ordered  Home  "     . 


13 

27 

59 

89 

125 

153 

177 
205 
261 
291 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

John  Lawrence  Thurston Title 

Whitinsville  Church         .         .         ....  30 

The  Parsonage 30 

Rev.  John  R.  Thurston 34 

Mrs.  Augusta  Storey  Thurston      ....  34 

Lawrence  with  His  Brother  Charles,  Aged  Six      .  36 

Worcester  Academy  Grounds  .....  38 

"The     Islands     of    the    Blest."       Approach    to 

Johnny's  Isle          ......  156 

Johnny's  Island.     Tents  and  Canoes      .        .        .156 

Campers  at  Work    . 158 

Campers  at  Dinner  . 160 

Lawrence  as  Pioneer  Missionary    .        ,        .        .  208 

Mrs.  Thurston          . 208 

The  Road  to  the  Pasture 210 

Lawrence  in  Furs  in  North  China         .        .        .  230 

Lawrence  at  His  Desk  on  the  Field     .         .         .  230 


II 


I 

The  Miracle  of  Obedience 


« If  any  man  is  in  Christ  he  is  a  new  creature  ;  the  old  things  are  passed 
away;  behold  they  are  become  new." — 2  Cor.  5;  77. 

«  Life  stripped  of  its  essentials  offers  but  two  alternatives  to  the  man  of 
action.  He  may  work  for  himself  alone,  building  his  little  selfish  walls 
across  the  advancing  path  of  civilization  and  making  them  stumbling  blocks 
in  the  way  of  progress.  Then  however  successful  he  may  be,  ultimately 
the  stern  mills  of  the  Gods  will  grind  him  and  his  structures  to  dust,  and 
he  and  his  work  will  vanish  from  the  earth.  Or,  having  the  eyes  that  see, 
he  may  place  his  effort  parallel  with  those  eternal  lines  of  force  that  mark 
the  purposes  of  God,  and  then  what  he  builds  will  endure." — Herbert 
Knox  Smith  to  the  Yale  Alumni  of  Hartford. 

**  God  has  a  life-plan  for  every  human  life.  In  the  eternal  councils  of 
His  will,  when  He  arranged  the  destiny  of  every  star,  and  every  sand-grain 
and  every  grass-blade,  and  each  of  those  tiny  insects  which  live  but  for  an 
hour,  the  Creator  had  a  thought  for  You  and  Me.  Our  life  was  to  be  the 
slow  unfolding  of  this  thought,  as  the  corn  stalk  from  the  corn,  or  the 
flower  from  the  gradually  opening  bud.  It  was  a  thought  of  what  we  were 
to  be,  of  what  we  might  become,  of  what  He  would  have  us  do  with  our 
days  and  years,  or  influence  with  our  lives.  But  we  all  had  the  terrible 
power  to  evade  this  thought,  and  shape  our  lives  from  another  thought, 
another  will,  if  we  chose.  The  bud  could  only  become  a  flower,  and  the 
star  revolve  in  the  orbit  God  had  fixed.  But  it  was  man's  prerogative  to 
choose  his  path,  his  duty  to  choose  it  in  God,  But  the  Divine  right 
to  choose  at  all  has  always  seemed  more  to  him  than  his  duty  to  choose  in 
God,  so,  for  the  most  part,  he  has  taken  his  life  from  God,  and  cut  out  his 
career  from  himself.  .  .  .  The  general  truth  of  these  words  is  simply 
this ;  that  the  end  of  life  is  to  do  God's  will.  Now  that  is  a  great  and 
surprising  revelation.  No  man  ever  found  that  out.  It  has  been  before 
the  world  these  eighteen  hundred  years,  yet  few  have  ever  found  it  out 
to-day." — Henry  Drummond,  *«  The  Ideal Life.^^ 

"  If  any  man  willeth  to  do  His  will,  he  shall  know  of  the  teaching, 
whether  it  be  of  God  or  whether  I  speak  of  Myself." — John  7  .*  ly. 

"  He  that  believeth  on  Me,  the  works  that  I  do  shall  he  do  also ; 
and  greater  works  than  these  shall  he  do;  because  I  go  unto  the  Father." 
— John  14  :  12. 

*'  The  world  has  yet  to  see  what  God  can  do  with  a  man  unreservedly 
consecrated  to  Him." 


THE  MIRACLE  OF  OBEDIENCE 

IN  its  quest  after  leaders  in  thought  and  action 
throughout  the  centuries,  the  world  has  again  and 
again  and  with  singular  persistency  gone  astray. 
Its  eyes  have  almost  invariably  been  fixed  upon  the 
heights, — upon  palace  and  hall  of  learning.  It  has  looked 
for  a  descent  from  above  ;  it  has  concentrated  its  attention 
upon  the  upper  regions  of  plenty  and  opportunity. 
Sometimes,  it  is  true,  in  these  very  places  the  object  of 
its  search  has  been  found.  But  more  often  men  have 
stopped  short  in  their  seeking  to  find  that  he  for  whom 
they  were  looking  had  already  come.  Whence  he  came 
they  knew  not,  save  that  while  their  eyes  were  turned  up- 
ward he  seemed  to  have  ascended  from  below, — from 
the  unexpected  and  the  neglected  quarter,  from  the  door 
of  the  humble  hut,  and  from  places  where  men  knew  not 
letters,  having  never  learned. 

But  whether  the  true  leader  descends  from  palace  or 
ascends  from  the  cabin,  there  is  no  mistaking  him  when 
he  comes.  His  advent  in  the  larger  spheres  of  human 
thought  and  action  Watson  has  sketched  in  striking 
language : 

"  No  one  could  have  foretold  his  origin ;  no  one  can 
take  credit  for  training  him  ;  no  one  can  boast  afterwards 
of  having  been  his  colleague.  From  behind  the  veil  he 
comes — from  a  palace,  or  from  a  cottage,  or  from  a  col- 

15 


l6  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

lege,  or  from  a  desert.  Upon  him  is  laid  one  burden,  and 
he  rests  not  until  it  be  fulfilled ;  he  is  incalculable,  con- 
centrated, forceful,  autocratic.  Now  he  is  the  idol  of  the 
people  ;  now  he  is  their  victim  ;  he  is  ever  independent  of 
them,  and  ever  their  champion.  They  may  not  under- 
stand him  yet  he  expresses  them  ;  they  may  put  him  to 
death  yet  he  accomplishes  their  desire.  These  are  the 
makers  of  the  race  through  whom  God  intervenes  in 
human  history."  ^ 

But  it  is  not  alone  in  the  greater  arena  of  the  nations 
that  such  unique  figures  with  the  stamp  of  mission  upon 
them,  from  time  to  time  appear.  Few  persons  pass 
through  life  in  its  ordinary  walks  without  having  at  some 
time  come  in  contact  with  men  and  women  of  this 
pecuHar  type.  "  There  are  those  who  stand  out  from 
among  the  crowd  which  reflects  merely  the  atmosphere 
of  feeling  and  standard  of  society  around  it,"  says 
Mozley,^  "  with  an  impress  upon  them  which  bespeaks  a 
heavenly  birth.  Their  criterion  of  what  is  valuable,  and 
to  be  sought  after,  is  different  from  that  of  others."  The 
humblest  home,  the  rudest  school  is  transformed  by  the  ad- 
vent of  just  such  rare  souls.  They  seem  always  to  do  and 
to  say,  not  the  obvious  but  that  which  proves  ultimately 
to  have  been  the  right  thing.  "  The  otherworldliness 
of  such  a  character,"  says  Drummond,^  "  is  the  thing 
that  strikes  you ;  you  are  not  prepared  for  what  it  will 
do  or  say  or  become  next,  for  it  moves  from  a  far-off 
center,  and  in  spite  of  its  transparency  and  sweetness, 
that  presence  fills  you  always  with  awe.     A  man  never 

ijohn  Watson,  "The  Life  of  the  Master,"  p,  ii. 

^Mozley,  "  Sermons  Before  the  University  of  Oxford,"  p.  240. 

^Drummond,  «  Natural  Law  in  the  Spiritual  World,"  pp.  134-135. 


The  Miracle  of  Obedience  17 

feels  the  discord  of  his  own  life,  never  hears  the  jar  of 
the  machinery  by  which  he  tries  to  manufacture  his  own 
good  points  till  he  has  stood  in  the  stillness  of  such 
a  presence.  Then  he  discerns  the  difference  between 
growth  and  work." 

The  world  has  a  ready  explanation  for  such  unique 
figures.  Like  the  great  painters  and  musicians  and 
scholars  of  the  ages,  so  these  too,  it  affirms,  are  geniuses, 
— the  spiritual  geniuses  of  the  race.  They  are  possessed 
of  special  gifts,  denied  to  the  generahty  of  mankind. 
They  alone  were  "  born  to  be  kings," — to  be  extra- 
ordinary. It  was  fated  that  the  rest  of  men  should,  in 
spiritual  matters,  as  in  others,  be  ordinary, — should  be- 
long to  the  rank  and  file  of  men. 

This  explanation,  though  striking  and  plausible,  is  by 
no  means  a  new  one.  It  was  a  tenet  of  the  ancient 
Roman  religion.  Paucis  vivat  humanum  genuSy  "  For 
the  few  the  race  must  live,"  wrote  Cicero.  But  true 
men  have  always  felt  a  shudder  when  they  come  to  con- 
sider the  actual  acceptance  of  such  a  view  into  their 
creed.  That  I  may  be  saved  must  other  men  be  lost  ? 
Does  the  law  of  the  survival  of  the  fittest,  over  which 
men  have  no  control  and  capable  of  being  overridden 
by  no  higher  law  prevail  in  the  spiritual  realm  ?  "A 
thousand  times  No  !  "  cries  the  human  heart.  "  If  it  be 
so  I  will  have  none  of  salvation."  "  In  God's  spiritual 
universe,"  pleaded  Robertson,^  '•  there  are  no  favourites 
of  heaven  who  can  attain  knowledge  and  spiritual 
wisdom  apart  from  obedience.  There  are  none  repro- 
bate by  an  eternal  decree  who  can  surrender  self,  and  in 
all  things  submit  to  God,  and  yet  fail  of  spiritual  con- 
victions. It  is  not  therefore  a  rare  partial  condescension 
1  Robertson,  "  Sermons,"  Third  Series,  No.  7. 


i8  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

of  God,  arbitrary  and  causeless,  which  gives  knowledge 
of  the  truth  to  some,  and  shuts  it  out  from  others,  but  a 
vast,  universal,  glorious  law.  The  Hght  lighteth  every 
man  that  cometh  into  the  world.  *  If  a7iy  man  will  do 
His  will,  he  shall  know.'  " 

And  when  we  come  to  the  life  and  teaching  of  Jesus 
there  is  no  mistaking  the  emphasis  which  He  placed  upon 
the  unlimited  possibilities  for  development  in  every  hu- 
man being.  To  His  mind  there  need  be  no  such  thing 
as  an  average  man.  "  If  any  man  will  ...  he  shall 
know,"  were  His  words.  '*  He  that  believeth  .  .  . 
the  works  that  I  do  shall  he  do  also  and  greater  works 
than  these  shall  he  do."  Trained  outside  of  palace  and 
halls  of  learning,  He  spent  the  greater  part  of  His  life 
among  those  whom  the  world  is  pleased  to  call  the  rank 
and  file  of  men.  In  Cephas  He  was  quick  to  discern  a 
latent  Peter,  and  in  witness  to  the  great  truth  that  the 
ordinary  man  was  born  to  become  extraordinary,  from 
fishermen  and  tax  collectors  He  developed  the  spiritual 
leaders  of  the  world.  It  is  true  that  in  the  moral  and 
spiritual  realm  in  those  cases  where  men  could,  but  would 
not  be  saved.  He  clearly  taught  the  great  principle  of 
the  survival  of  the  fittest ;  but  overshadowing  this  in  the 
grandeur  of  its  loftiness  He  reared  a  mightier  truth  that 
any  man  who  would,  might  be  made  fit  to  survive,  and 
that  for  a  man  once  made  fit  himself,  the  greatest  work 
in  the  world  was  to  return  to  the  depths  and  help  the 
unfit  to  make  themselves  fittest.  "  If  a7iy  man  be  will- 
ing," He  said, "  he  shall  know  ;  "  and  the  truth  which  He 
taught  was  reiterated  by  His  disciples.  *'  God  hath 
showed  me,"  said  Peter,  "  that  I  should  not  call  any  7nan 
common."  "  If  any  man  is  in  Christ,"  added  Paul,  "  he 
is  a  new  creature.     The  old  things  are  passed  away." 


The  Miracle  of  Obedience  19 

The  phenomena,  then,  which  the  world  in  wonder  de- 
scribes as  miracles  of  spiritual  genius, — gifts  predestined 
to  an  appointed  few, — were  in  the  eyes  of  Jesus  and  His 
apostles  but  the  inevitable  results  of  a  law, — of  a  process 
of  obedience  possible  to  any  man. 

Is  there  then  a  mighty  miraculous  law  of  God,  underly- 
ing the  life  of  men,  the  processes  of  which  may  be  ob- 
served, a  law,  whereby  weak  men  are  made  strong, 
whereby  the  ordinary  man  can  become  extraordinary,  a 
law  which  no  man  can  create  or  master,  but  a  law  of 
which  any  man  may  avail  himself  if  he  will  ?  Are  the 
phrases  which  were  so  constantly  on  Paul's  lips,  "  Him 
that  enabled  me,"  "  The  strength  which  God  supplieth," 
"  Newness  of  life,"  "  My  God  shall  fulfill  every  need," 
*'  I  can  do  all  things  through  Him,"  "  His  working 
which  worketh  in  me  mightily,"  mere  empty  phrases  of 
rhetoric,  or  are  they  the  genuine  witnesses  to  a  mysteri- 
ous power  which  had  made  of  Paul  a  new  creature  ? 
When  such  a  thought  first  dawns  upon  one,  its  pos- 
sibilities are  well-nigh  overwhelming.  President  Jordan 
tells  us  that  one  half  of  the  normal  strength  of  the  young 
men  of  America  is  to-day  wasted  in  dissipation  gross  or 
petty,  and  we  stand  aghast  before  the  thought  of  what 
the  nation  has  lost  in  power  of  achievement  through 
human  wilfulness.  But  what  of  the  fourfold  or  the  ten- 
fold strength  which  God  intended  to  supply  to  men 
which  they  have  never  claimed,  and  which  after  all  was 
really  their  normal  strength  in  God's  thought  for  their 
lives  ?  How  many  leaders  have  been  lost  to  the  world 
through  this  form  of  human  wilfulness?  What  count- 
less numbers  of  men  and  women  who  have  been  content 
to  constitute  the  rank  and  file  may  have  been  "  born  to 
be  kings  "  !     "  As  the  earth  sweeps  on  with  vast  treasures 


20  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

of  gold  and  gems  all  uncovered,"  says  Hillis/  "  so  men 
move  forward  laden  with  treasures  which  are  neither  ex- 
plored nor  suspected."  Is  this  all  fancy  or  is  it  fact? 
"  If  any  man  be  willing,"  said  Jesus,  "  he  shall  know,  and 
greater  works  than  Mine  shall  he  do."  Does  it  not  now 
become  more  apparent  why  it  was  that  the  form  of  sin 
which  Jesus  regarded  as  the  worst  was  satiety  and  self- 
sufficiency  ? 

That  there  is  such  a  thing  as  the  miraculous  law  of 
obedience  whereby  the  lives  of  ordinary  men  and  women 
have  been  transformed  by  the  renewing  of  their  minds 
to  be  mighty  proofs  of  the  perfect  will  of  God,  the 
majority  of  Christians  do  not  to-day  deny.  The  evi- 
dence is  too  abundant  and  too  well  established  to  admit 
of  denial.  Nor  on  the  whole  is  there  much  uncertainty 
as  to  the  general  lines  along  which  the  process  moves. 
"  /  came  not  to  do  Mine  own  willy  but  the  will  of  Him 
that  sent  Me,"  said  Christ.  "  Lord,  what  wilt  Thou  have 
me  to  do,"  were  the  words  which  marked  the  turning 
point  of  Paul's  career.  "  If  any  man  willeth  to  do  His 
willf*  taught  Christ,  "  he  shall  know  .  .  .  and  greater 
works  than  these  shall  he  do."  Were  the  Hves  of  a  hun- 
dred of  the  transformed  leaders  of  the  past  and  present — 
what  the  world  calls  its  spiritual  geniuses — to  be  exam- 
ined, they  would  all  be  found  to  revert  to  the  single 
open  secret  that  they  willed  to  do  God's  will.  Yet 
among  a  great  many  honest  men  and  women  there  ex- 
ists to-day  a  real  perplexity  as  to  what  it  is  to  do  God's 
will.  Students  return  from  some  great  religious  gather- 
ing where  they  have  honestly  felt  and  perhaps  openly 
expressed  their  deep  desire  to  do  the  will  of  God.  They 
have  sung  from  their  hearts  : 

1  Hillis,  "  The  Influence  of  Christ  in  Modern  Life,"  p.  172. 


The  Miracle  of  Obedience  21 

*'I'll  go  where  you  want  me  to  go,  dear  Lord, 
Over  mountain  or  land  or  sea, 
I'll  do  what  you  want  me  to  do,  dear  Lord, 
I'll  be  what  you  want  me  to  be." 

They  may  have  definitely  given  their  lives  to  foreign 
missionary  service  as  that  form  of  consecration  which 
seems  to  be  the  highest  possible ;  and  yet,  as  the  weeks 
pass,  the  growth,  the  promised  knowledge  of  the  teach- 
ing, the  power  to  do  greater  works  than  Christ  did,  does 
not  appear.  And  so,  while  not  denying  the  possibility 
of  such  experiences  as  the  above  to  a  certain  privileged 
few,  it  is  to  these  few  alone  that  they  are  forced  to  narrow 
the  universal  promise  of  Jesus  that  "  if  any  man  willeth 
to  do  God's  will     ...     he  shall  know." 

What  is  it  to  do  God's  will?  "Do  the  right,"  says 
Bushnell.^  But  what  is  the  right  ?  Different  men  have 
different  standards.  "  Love,"  says  Mozley.^  But  what 
is  it  to  love  ?  "  Obey,"  says  Robertson.^  But  what, 
we  ask,  are  the  specific  things  we  are  to  do  ?  *'  Believ- 
ing in  Jesus  Christ,  going  on  into  the  holiness  of  the  life 
that  is  Christ's,  entering  into  Christ's  service  for  the 
redemption  of  the  world,"  says  Speer.^  But  how  far  are  we 
to  go  before  results  come  ?  No  man  can  ever  do  all  these 
things  perfectly  and  the  world  is  all  at  sea  as  to  creed 
and  methods.  "  Being  willing  to  obey,"  says  Drum- 
mond.^  "  But  I  honestly  think  I  am,"  the  perplexed  in- 
quirer replies.  "  How  shall  I  know  whether  I  am  or  not  ?  " 
"  Follow  Christ,"  says  Lyman  Abbott.^    "  I  have  been 

» Cheney,  "  Life  of  Horace  Bushnell,"  p.  58. 

'  Mozley,  "  Sermons  Before  the  University  of  Oxford,"  p.  240. 

'  Robertson,  "  Sermons,"  Third  Series,  No.  7. 

*  Speer,  "  Remember  Jesus  Christ,"  p.  107. 
^Drummond,  "The  Ideal  Life,"  p.  313, 

*  Abbott,  "The  Great  Companion,"  pp.  89-102. 


22  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

trying  to  do  this  for  years,"  is  the  answer.  How  tanta- 
Hzingly  indefinite  the  problem  seems  !  What  would  we 
not  give  if  we  could  see  Jesus  during  those  thirty  years 
when  He  was  working  practically  with  the  problem  of 
God's  will  in  His  own  life,  or  Paul  during  the  three  years 
in  the  solitude  of  Arabia,  when  God  must  have  answered 
that  question  of  his  on  the  Damascus  road :  "  What 
wilt  Thou  have  me  to  do  ?  "  Have  Christ  and  His  fore- 
most apostle  left  no  records  of  these  secret  soul  struggles  ? 
May  we  never  know  the  details  of  the  process  by  which 
they  came  to  know  the  will  of  God  ?  Are  we  fated  to 
see  only  the  result — the  incontestable  miracle  of  obedi- 
ence at  its  end  ? 

Fortunately  the  mere  record  of  events  of  those  hidden 
years  in  the  lives  of  Jesus  and  of  Paul,  of  which  few 
direct  traces  remain,  is  not  the  only  source  from  which 
we  may  learn.  There  is  no  struggle  through  which  Jesus 
went  in  the  earlier  years  which  did  not  leave  its  traces 
upon  His  later  life  and  teaching,  and  it  has  remained  for 
a  modern  seer  ^  to  reconstruct  from  the  data  of  the  later 
years  which  we  do  possess,  the  touchstone  which  Jesus 
must  have  applied  to  every  problem  when  He  strove  to 
determine  the  particular  will  of  God  for  His  life.  It  was 
a  fourfold  touchstone  and  the  tests  were  these :  an  abso- 
lute standard  of  purity,  of  honesty,  of  unselfishness  and 
of  love.  And  when  we  turn  to  the  two  places  in  all  his 
writings  where  Paul  attempts  to  define  what  the  will  of 
God  is  [cf.  I  Thess.  4:3;  Eph.  5  :  17] — passages  which 
are  also  an  unconscious  revelation  on  his  part  of  the 
experiences  of  those  earlier  hidden  years  in  Arabia, — we 

iSpeer,  "The  Principles  of  Jesus."  The  absolute  standards  of  Jesus  : 
Purity,  Matt.  5  :  29-30 ;  Honesty,  John  8 :  44 ;  Unselfishness,  Luke  14 :  33; 
Love,  John  13  :  34. 


The  Miracle  of  Obedience  23 

are  struck  at  once  with  the  remarkable  coincidence  that 
it  is  this   identical  fourfold  touchstone  of  Christ  which. 
Paul   commends   to   the  churches  at  Thessalonica  and 
Ephesus.     "  For  this  is  the  will   of  God,"  he  writes  to 
those    of  Thessalonica,  "...     that   ye   abstain   from 
fornication     ...     not  in  the  passion  of  lust  (Purity) 
fcf.  Eph.  5:3-14]     .     .     .     that  no  man  overreach  and 
wrong  his   brother   in   the    matter   (Honesty)  [cf.  Eph. 
4 :  25-28]     .     .     .     that    ye    abound    more   and    more 
and    that    ye  study  to   be    quiet  and  to  do  your  own 
business  and  to  work  with  your  own  hands  (Unselfish- 
ness) [cf.  Eph.  4 :  29-32]     .     .     .     but  concerning  love 
of  the  brethren  ye  have  no  need  that  one  write  to  you 
(Love)  [cf.  Eph.  5  :  1-2]."  ^ 

Consciously  or  unconsciously,  it  is  here— where  Jesus 
and  where  Paul  began,— that  we  all  must  begin  when  we 
will  to  do  the  will  of  God.^     To  every  problem  of  con- 
duct or  career,  of  pleasure  or  of  duty,  to  a  small  matter 
like  our  bearing  in  a  game  of  sport,  to  a  large  matter  like 
our  answer  to  an  appeal  for  foreign  missionary  service, 
we  put  the  fourfold  question :    Is  my  solution  the  abso- 
lutely pure  thing ;  is  it  the  absolutely  honest  thing ;  is  it 
the  most  unselfish  thing ;  is  it  the  fullest  expression  of 
my  love  ?     And  if  it  fails  to  measure  up  to  any  one  of 
the  four  tests,  we  turn  away  from  it  in  the  sure  confidence 
that  it  cannot  be  the  will  of  God  for  our  lives.     It  is 
deeply  significant  that  the  issue  of  disobedience  to  any  of 
these  four  standards  is  couched  by  Jesus  in  the  strongest 


»  I  Thess.  4:1-12;  Eph.  4:1-5:  17-  nA       A 

2  It  was  here  that  Frederic  Robertson  began:  "  If  there  be  no  God,  and 

no  future   state,  yet   even  then  it  is  better  to  be  generous  than  selfish, 

better  to  be  chaste  than  hcentious,  better  to  be  true  than  false,  better  to 

be  brave  than  to  be  a  coward."—"  Life,"  Vol.  I,  pp.  109-II0. 


24  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

of  terms,!  while  in  each  instance  the  result  of  obedience 
is  the  actual  realization  of  unseen  things.^  Each  one  of 
these  four  standards,  also,  is  the  commonly  accepted 
essential  to  growth  in  a  different  one  of  the  four  integral 
parts  which  go  to  make  up  a  man.  Jesus,  we  are  told, 
increased  in  stature,  in  wisdom,  in  favour  with  man  and 
in  favour  with  God.  He  bade  all  men  love  God  with 
strength,  with  mind,  with  heart  and  with  soul.  If  a  man 
would  develop  physically,  he  must  be  pure,  if  he  would 
develop  mentally  he  must  be  honest,  if  he  would  develop 
socially  he  must  be  unselfish,  if  he  would  develop  spirit- 
ually he  must  express  himself  in  love. 

Is  it  unreasonable  that  a  path  to  unlimited  achievement 
for  every  man  should  lie  through  the  gateway  of  obedi- 
ence to  the  leading  of  this  fourfold  touchstone  ?  May  it 
not  be  that  what  the  world  calls  genius  is  much  more  a 
matter  of  right  living  than  many  men  would  care  to  ad- 
mit ?  Jesus  said  "  not  that  clear  intellect  will  give  you  a 
right  heart,  but  that  a  right  heart  and  a  pure  life  will 
clarify  the  intellect.  Not,  become  a  man  of  letters  and 
learning  and  you  will  attain  spiritual  freedom ;  but  do 
rightly  and  you  will  judge  justly ;  obey  and  you  will 
know."  ^  The  ordinary  man  who  wills  to  have  a  mind 
freed  from  the  shackles  of  impure  imagery,  an  eye  that 
looks  at  things  squarely  and  brooks  deception  neither  of 
self  nor  of  others,  a  hand  that  will  not  spare  itself  in 
work,  and  a  heart  that  will  express  without  reserve  its 

1  Impurity :  Matt.  5  :  29,  "  Be  cast  into  hell."  Dishonesty :  Luke 
16:  II,  "Who  will  commit  to  you  the  true  riches."  Selfishness :  Luke 
14 :  33,  "  He  cannot  be  My  disciple."  Lovelessness  :  Matt.  25  :  46,  "  Eter- 
nal punishment." 

^Purity:  Matt.  5:8,  "He  shall  see  God."  Honesty:  Luke  16:  ii, 
«•  The  true  riches."  Unselfishness  :  Luke  9 :  24,  "  He  shall  save  his  life." 
Love  :  Matt.  25  :  34,  "  Inherit  the  kingdom  prepared." 

'  Robertson,  "  Sermons,"  Third  Series,  No.  7, 


The  Miracle  of  Obedience  1^ 

honest  convictions  and  genuine  affections,  will  often  even 
in  this  earthly  life  outstrip  the  brilliant  genius  who 
though  starting  far  ahead  in  the  race  because  of  in- 
herited gifts,  is  shackled  and  ultimately  overthrown  by 
impurity,  dishonesty,  selfishness  or  atrophy  of  heart. 
And  who  can  doubt  the  ultimate  result  when  we  enter 
upon  real  living  after  these  days  of  preparations  and  lay- 
ings of  foundations  are  over.  "  We  may  not  be  able  to- 
day to  think  Plato's  thought,  create  Shakespeare's  Ham- 
let or  live  with  the  moral  sublimity  of  Lincoln ;  but  give 
us  eternity  and  infinite  opportunity  and  there  is  no  limit 
to  our  possible  growth  in  those  directions."  ^ 

Such  was  the  great  truth  that  little  by  little  dawned 
upon  us  as  we  lived  and  worked  by  the  side  of  Lawrence 
Thurston. 

*  Griggs,  "  Moral  Education,"  p.  23. 


II 

Home  Life  and  Early  Training 


"  Strictly  speaking  I  was  never  led  to  Christ,  never  having  known  what 
it  was  not  to  be  a  Christian.  This  must  not  imply  that  sin  has  not  always 
been  a  powerful  factor  in  my  life,  but  thanks  to  a  Christian  inheritance 
and  home  and  godly  parents  I  have  never  known  what  it  was  to  be  in 
open  rebellion  against  God." — From  Lawrence' s  reply  to  questions  at 
ordination. 

"  A  ship  in  a  heavy  gale,  strains  and  springs  a  leak  and  founders.  Men 
say,  *  The  gale  which  caused  that  ship  to  founder  began  in  the  shipyard.' 
It  would  not  have  strained  and  sprung  a  leak  if  it  had  been  properly  built. 
Those  timbers  that  were  put  in  because  they  were  cheaper,  were  elements 
of  weakness  that  weakened  the  whole  craft.  The  defects  were  covered 
up  with  paint  and  putty  as  defects  usually  are  and  she  looked  as  well,  and 
in  the  harbour  she  lay  as  well,  and  in  a  calm  she  went  as  well  as  any 
other  ship.  But  when  the  hurricane  came  down,  the  well-built  craft  went 
safely  through  the  gale,  while  the  one  that  was  poorly  built  foundered. 
The  trouble  was  not  that  this  one  was  not  handled  as  well  as  the  other 
but  that  she  was  not  built  as  well. 

"  One  man  lays  out  his  life  plans  with  moderation — that  is  with  rela- 
tion to  his  own  capacity ;  with  relation  to  what  a  man  ought  to  want, 
ought  to  do,  and  ought  to  be ;  with  a  keel  of  equity,  and  with  ribs  of  truth 
and  righteousness — and  he  is  always  building  as  under  the  eye  of  the 
eternal  Father.  Another  man,  not  meaning  to  do  wrong,  lays  out  his  life 
plans  under  the  inspirations  of  over-eager  desire  of  greed ;  not  of  stealing 
and  lying  and  dishonour,  but  of  greed,  of  the  inordinate  use  of  his  secular 
worldly  feelings.  By  and  by  comes  the  period  of  trial  and  suffering. 
Five,  or  ten,  or  twenty  years  may  elapse  before  it  comes ;  but  however 
remote  that  period  may  be,  the  weakness  that  in  the  one  case  was  in- 
corporated in  the  original  plan  inheres  in  the  structure,  and  it  falls  be- 
neath the  storm,  while  the  other  that  was  properly  organized  survives." — 
Beecher, 


II 

HOME  LIFE  AND  EARLY  TRAINING 

JOHN  LAWRENCE  THURSTON  was  bom  in 
the  Congregational  parsonage  at  Whitinsville, 
Mass.,  on  August  4,  1874,  and  for  the  thirty  years 
of  his  life  this  same  spot  remained  his  home.  He  was 
thus  privileged  from  the  first  to  come  under  the  direct 
influence  of  two  of  the  most  powerful  forces  that  can 
shape  character — God-fearing  parents,  and  the  simple, 
unaffected  life  of  a  New  England  country  town. 

The  factory  village  of  Whitinsville,  with  its  long 
stretches  of  ponds  which  supply  the  power  to  drive  the 
thousand  busy  machines  plying  each  day  in  the  big 
Whitin  cotton-mills  and  machine-shops,  has  doubtless 
much  in  common  with  other  New  England  towns.  But 
its  people  have  a  spirit  of  their  own  which  the  stranger 
who  tarries  for  a  night  among  them  is  quick  to  note. 
One  is  awakened  in  the  quiet  of  the  early  morning  by  the 
vigorous  warning  strokes  of  the  mill  bell,  and  for  a  few 
moments  he  hears  beneath  his  window  the  quick  steps  of 
men  and  women,  hurrying  to  their  work,  sometimes  in 
silence  but  more  often  in  little  groups  of  three  or  four, 
and  with  a  cheerful  greeting  one  to  the  other  as  they  go. 
In  a  little  while  the  great  bell  sends  forth  another  warn- 
ing call,  the  footsteps  as  they  pass  and  die  away  in  the 
distance  become  fewer  and  more  rapid,  the  distant  rumble 
of  machinery  begins,  and  by  seven  o'clock  the  town  has 
settled  back  into  the  peacefulness  characteristic  of  any 

29 


JO  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

New  England  village,  which  is  only  disturbed  again  when 
the  whistle  sounds  for  noon  or  for  night  and  the  stream 
of  humanity  pours  forth  from  the  factory  doors,  now,  it 
is  true,  wearing  upon  hands  and  dress  the  marks  of  honest 
toil.  But  whether  he  meets  them  at  morning  or  at  night, 
one  notes  in  the  workers  of  Whitinsville  a  spirit  of  in- 
dustry and  loyalty  and  content.  The  town  has  grown 
up  around  a  single  family  whose  members  are  the  resident 
owners  of  the  mills  and  shop  and  who  have,  in  many 
different  ways,  fulfilled  the  obligations  of  brotherhood  to 
those  about  them.  The  Memorial  Hall,  the  beautiful 
Congregational  Church  and  numerous  other  public  bene- 
factions, the  provision  for  aged  and  incapacitated  work- 
men, and  the  thoughtfulness  in  supplying  household 
necessities  to  workmen  at  living  prices  in  times  of  great 
stringency  in  the  world  outside,  have  bound  together 
employer  and  employee  into  that  greatest  of  all  unions 
whose  basis  is  the  brotherhood  of  man. 

It  is  no  easy  task  for  a  Christian  minister  to  interpret 
God  to  the  busy  workers  of  such  a  town.  He  who  would 
bring  the  message  of  Christianity  to  men  who  toil  in  the 
shop,  whether  with  mind  or  with  hand,  as  employers  or 
as  employees,  must  be  himself  a  worker  with  just  a  trifle 
quicker  step  when  the  bell  sends  forth  its  warning  in  the 
early  hours,  and  with  just  a  shade  more  genuinely  cheer- 
ful greeting,  as  he  passes  about  his  duties,  than  any  of  his 
flock.  For,  in  the  final  analysis,  religion  is  imparted  and 
not  taught  and  the  most  eloquent  and  convincing  lan- 
guage in  which  the  preacher  speaks  is  that  of  his  own 
Hfe. 

Rev.  John  Rogers  Thurston,  Lawrence's  father,  who 
was  installed  as  pastor  of  the  Congregational  Church  at 
Whitinsville  in   1871,  had  received  both  by  inheritance 


WHITINSVILLE    CHURCH 


THE     PARSONAGE 


Home   Life  and  Early  Training  31 

and  from  the  sterner  training  of  his  early  life  many  req- 
uisite traits  for  precisely  such  a  ministry.  He  belonged 
to  an  old  and  honoured  family.  The  name  Thurston, 
variously  interpreted  as  meaning  God's-rock  or  God's- 
servant,  appears  as  early  as  800  A.  d.  in  a  Danish  monk 
who  lived  at  the  Abbey  of  Croyland  ;  and  the  same  name 
is  found  many  times  thereafter  in  various  callings  and 
offices.  The  most  celebrated  of  the  family  was  Thurston 
who  was  elected  twenty-eighth  Archbishop  of  York  and 
who   served   many  years   as  chaplain  and   secretary  of 

Henry  II. 

The  special  branch  of  the  Thurston  family  to  which 
Lawrence's  father  belonged  came  to  Newbury,  Mass.,  from 
the  town  of  Thornbury,  county  of  Gloucester,  England, 
between  1635  and  1638,  removing  later  to  old  Rowley, 
Mass.,  in  the  part  now  called  Georgetown. 

Here,  in  1794,  John  Thurston,  Lawrence's  grandfather, 
was  born.  But  soon  after  the  family  again  removed  to 
Sedgwick,  Me.,  and  the  boy  remained  on  the  farm  working 
for  his  father,  until  the  latter's  death  in  1 821,  when  he 
took  entire  charge  of  the  homestead  until  1830.  He  then 
removed  to  Bangor  and  became  the  "  Keeper  of  the 
Ordinary  "  for  the  Theological  Seminary.  He  was  one 
of  the  original  members  of  the  Hammond  Street  Church, 
a  devout  and  earnest  Christian,  and  as  Dr.  Pond  said  of 
him,  "  Always  at  the  prayer-meeting."  His  son,  John 
Rogers  Thurston,  Lawrence's  father,  was  born  at  Bangor 

in  1831. 

Lawrence's  father  was  thus  born  of  rugged.  God-fear- 
ing stock,  but  it  was  the  stern  training  of  his  early  life 
which  more  especially  fitted  him  to  be  a  leader  of  those 
who  work.  When  he  was  two  years  of  age  both  of  his 
parents  died,  and  during  the  years  of  education  which 


32  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

followed  he  was  largely  dependent  upon  his  own  re- 
sources. He  entered  Yale  at  sixteen  with  a  poor  prepar- 
ation, and  although  compelled  to  devote  many  hours  each 
week  to  manual  labour  for  self-support,  he  graduated  in 
185 1  with  an  oration  stand,  having  improved  in  scholar- 
ship regularly  each  successive  year  of  the  course. 
At  the  end  of  his  freshman  year  he  had  united  with  the 
College  Church  and  later  he  definitely  decided  to  enter 
the  mission  field,  planning  to  go  to  China  with  his  cousin, 
Rev.  Henry  Blodget,  Yale,  '48.  For  four  years  after 
graduating  he  taught  in  order  to  earn  money  to  pay 
debts  incurred  in  securing  his  education,  and  then,  after 
completing  his  theological  studies  at  Bangor,  he  received 
his  appointment  from  the  American  Board  as  a  mission- 
ary to  China.  Illness  in  the  family,  however,  made  it 
necessary  for  him  to  relinquish  his  long-cherished  ambi- 
tion, and  to  find  God's  plan  for  his  life  in  the  home 
ministry.  For  more  than  ten  years,  excepting  the  months 
spent  in  the  Christian  Commission  during  the  Civil  War, 
he  was  settled  in  Newbury,  Mass.,  over  the  church  of 
which  three  of  his  ancestors  had  been  members.  Here 
his  first  wife  died  leaving  two  daughters,  Margaret  and 
Elizabeth.  From  Newbury,  Mr.  Thurston  was  called  in 
1 87 1  to  Whitinsville,  having  previously  married  Miss 
Caroline  A.  W.  Storey,  a  member  of  the  well-known 
Newburyport  family  of  Storeys,  a  woman  of  rare  char- 
acter from  whom  Lawrence  inherited  much  of  the  vivac- 
ity and  keen  sense  of  humour  which  later  characterized 
his  sunny  nature.  Here  for  more  than  thirty-five  years 
he  has  served  the  town,  not  only  in  the  capacity  of 
Congregational  pastor,  but  also  as  its  representative  in 
the  State  Legislature  and  in  other  public  positions. 

Lawrence  was   the  second  son  born  from  this  latter 


Home  Life  and  Early  Training  33 

marriage  and  was  named  for  his  paternal  grandparents, 
John  Thurston  and  Abigail  Lawrence  Thurston — the 
latter,  a  granddaughter  of  Asa  Lawrence,  captain  of  the 
Groton  Minutemen  at  Bunker  Hill.  The  home  circle 
in  which  he  grew  up  included  the  two  half-sisters, 
Margaret  and  EHzabeth,  his  elder  brother  Charles  who 
preceded  him  both  at  Worcester  Academy  and  at  Yale, 
leaving  a  brilliant  record  as  a  scholar,  and  a  younger 
sister  Isabel  to  whom  in  later  years  he  was  in  a  peculiar 
sense  a  true  "  elder  brother  "  in  love  and  sympathy  and 
companionship.  Of  Lawrence's  early  childhood  his 
mother  writes : 

"He  was  a  very  bright  and  apparently  healthy  baby 
until  his  third  year,  when  a  severe  cold,  followed  by  an  at- 
tack of  what  was  called  '  marasmus,'  kept  him  an  invalid 
for  more  than  two  years,  and  though  after  this  time  he 
apparently  recovered,  he  was  never  robust.  During  his 
long  sickness,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  he  lost  strength  and 
flesh  to  a  pitiful  extent,  the  energy  that  characterized  him 
in  after  years  was  never  wanting,  and  when  he  was  too 
weak  to  walk,  he  insisted  upon  being  dressed  each  day, 
and  carried  to  the  table  with  the  family,  where,  though 
his  appetite  was  very  small,  he  could  enter  into  the  life  of 
the  household.  During  these  years,  he  was  much  under 
the  care  of  a  cousin  who  was  devoted  to  him,  and  whom 
he  loved  fondly  in  return.  When  he  grew  stronger,  he 
was  ever  busy  about  something,  and  as  he  was  much  with 
his  mother  and  cousin,  he  liked  to  do  as  they  did,  and 
learned  to  sew  very  neatly.  He  was  always  very  careful 
that  the  work  should  be  all  his  own,  and  if  he  found  that 
a  stitch  had  been  taken  by  any  one,  with  the  idea  of  help- 
ing him  to   finish  some  little  gift,  the  work  had  to  be 


34  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

ripped  out,  that  it  might  be  entirely  his  own.  He  was  a 
great  lover  of  home,  and  preferred  to  have  his  playmates 
come  to  be  with  him  in  the  house  or  the  large  yard  and 
in  the  hay-loft,  where  many  happy  hours  were  spent.  As 
he  grew  older  and  went  to  school,  it  was  found  that  he 
picked  up  more  *  slang '  in  a  week  than  his  elder  brother 
had  in  two  years,  and  his  friends  of  later  years  will  re- 
member his  fondness  for  what  we  might  call  picturesque 
language.  But  his  conscience  was  alert,  and  he  never 
strayed,  I  think,  into  profanity." 

Lawrence's  boyhood  and  youth  were  thus  centered  to 
a  large  degree  at  the  parsonage,  where  his  father  found 
time,  in  spite  of  his  many  pastoral  duties,  to  carry  on  a 
little  gardening  and  light  farming.  The  boy  soon  came 
to  know  every  foot  of  the  pasture,  to  and  from  which  he 
or  his  brother  drove  the  cows  each  day,  and  where  he 
was  always  alert,  in  the  spring  and  summer,  for  the 
coming  of  the  birds  and  the  berries  and  the  wild  flowers. 
He  watched  the  garden  with  its  ever  changing  crops, 
and  recorded  daily  in  his  little  diary,  by  a  system  of  his 
own,  the  changes  in  the  weather,  the  variations  of  the 
thermometer,  and  the  number  of  eggs  which  the  hens 
laid.  Close  at  hand  was  the  pond  with  its  polywogs  and 
lizards  and  shiners  and  later  when  he  became  the  proud 
possessor  of  a  boat,  he  enjoyed  to  the  full  extent  the 
bass  fishing  and  swimming  in  its  waters  during  the  summer 
months.  But  best  of  all  spots  of  his  early  childhood 
days  was  the  home  with  its  big  yard  and  the  hay-loft  in 
the  barn,  whither  the  lad  invited  his  boy  friends  when 
school  was  over  or  on  Saturdays,  and  where  he  and  his 
companions  enjoyed  themselves  as  children  only  can. 
When  the  little  army  of  invaders  threatened  to  disturb 


'Jl 


Home  Life  and  Early  Training  35 

the  necessary  quiet  of  the  pastor's  study,  the  wise  father 
merely  put  double  doors  on  his  own  retreat  and  reared 
in  the  yard  a  horizontal  bar  and  a  swing  which  made 
home  and  its  surroundings  doubly  attractive  to  the  grow- 
ing boy.  From  early  childhood,  in  the  evenings  up  to 
bedtime  and  on  Sunday  afternoons,  he  would  listen  by 
the  hour  while  his  mother  read  aloud  to  him  from 
missionary  biographies  and  books  of  travel  and  adven- 
ture. It  is  interesting  to  note  that  even  at  an  early  age 
"  Hamlin's  Life,"  the  '•  Biography  of  Livingstone,"  and  a 
book  called  "  Fiji  and  the  Fijians "  were  his  special 
favourites. 

The  memory  of  these  childhood  experiences  was  a  pre- 
cious inspiration  to  Lawrence  when,  years  later,  he  found 
himself  away  from  home  and  friends  on  anniversary 
days. 

"  I  have  been  thinking  of  you  to-day,"  he  wrote  on  a 
Sunday  evening  during  the  year  of  the  Yale  Band  cam- 
paign when  alone  in  Chicago,  "  as  together  at  home,  and 
I  have  thought  how  I  should  like  to  drop  in  on  you,  and 
have  a  sing  with  Belle,  and  go  to  church  where  I  belong, 
and  sit  down  after  church  and  have  prayers,  and  then 
have  a  good  long  talk  with  you  all.  Why  I  feel  as 
though  I  could  talk  a  steady  stream  for  hours  and  then 
not  finish." 

**  I  shall  think  of  you  all,"  he  writes  again,  just  before 
one  Christmas  day,  "  and  suppose  your  tree  will  come  on 
Saturday  evening.  .  .  .  You  must  send  me  a  list  of 
the  Christmas  presents  and  tell  me  all  about  it.  .  .  . 
I  wish  next  Christmas  we  might  have  the  children  down 
and  have  a  real  celebration  with  tree  and  all.  ...  A 
tree  without  children  is  like  camping  without  the  fellows. 


36  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

What  fun  it  used  to  be  to  get  up  and  dress  by  the  fire  in 
mamma's  room  and,  in  our  excitement,  plead  with  papa 
to  dress  us  which  he  couldn't  do,  as  he  must  go  down 
and  light  up  [/.  e.,  the  hghts  on  the  tree,  the  ceremonies 
of  which  took  place  before  breakfast].  Then  I  remem- 
ber my  jig-saw  Christmas.  If  I  remember  correctly,  I 
didn't  do  anything  but  saw  all  day,  and  oh,  the  woe  that 
filled  my  soul  when,  within  a  day  or  two,  I  screwed  it  up 
too  tight  and  broke  off  a  great  piece  and  wrecked  it. 
.  .  .  Do  you  remember  when  I  came  home  with  my 
third  tin  drum  from  the  Sunday-school  tree  ?  /do  any- 
way. And  I  never  can  feel  that  those  Christmas  delights 
are  past  even  though  I  am  no  longer  a  child." 

And  Lawrence  realized  well  the  secret  of  the  home  to 
which  he  so  often  turned  back  for  inspiration  and  counsel. 

"  I  must  tell  you  what said  to  me  when  I  came 

back  after  Thanksgiving,"  he  once  wrote  to  his  parents 
from  preparatory  school.  "  We  were  talking  about 
home,  etc.,  and  he  said, '  I  am  convinced  that  I  should  like 
to  live  in  your  home  for  about  a  month,  you  all  seem  so 
happy.'  I  tell  you  what,  we  children  don't  realize  what 
a  home  we  have.  It  is  heaven  on  earth.  And  this  is  all 
because  of  Christianity  and  Christ's  love  shining  through 
papa  and  mamma.  If  I  can  have  a  home  like  ours  for 
my  children,  life  will  have  been  worth  the  living  even  if  I 
accomplish  nothing  more." 

Lawrence's  education  began  in  the  primary  schools  of 
Whitinsville  when  he  was  seven  years  of  age.  He  was  at 
first  very  shy,  and  for  several  years  made  few  friends  out- 
side of  his  immediate  circle.  In  1887,  he  entered  the 
grammar  school  where  he  came  under  the  careful  train- 


LAWRENCE   WITH    HIS    BROTHER    CHARLES,   A(iED   SIX 


Home  Life  and  Early  Training  37 

ing  of   Miss  Ella  Aldrich.     To  the  lad  of  thirteen,  by 
whom  lessons  had  never  been  learned  any  too  easily,  and 
who  was  always  eager  for  the  hour  to  come  when  he 
could  be  once  more  in  the  loft  or  by  the  pond's  side, 
those  extra  minutes  after  school,  spent  in  correcting  mis- 
takes made  in  problems  or  in  atonement  for  minor  trans- 
gressions, were  a  source  of  discontent.     On  one  occasion, 
when  the  whole  school  had  been  kept  after  four  o'clock 
for  some  breach  of  conduct,  as  the  minutes  of  detention 
dragged  on  in  silence,  suddenly  Lawrence  rose  from  his 
seat  and  solemnly  moved  "  that  we  adjourn."      That  this 
was  meant  in  good  faith  and  in  entire  respect,  although 
there  was  undoubtedly  an  element  of  roguery  in  it,  is  ap- 
parent from  an  entry  in  the  diary  which  he  kept  during 
this  year  and  which  is  his  sole  comment  on  this  incident. 
"  Yesterday  we  struck  for  the  dismission  of  school  at 
four  o'clock.     She  gave  it  to  us,  but  was  very  hard  on  us 
with  lessons."     Years  afterwards  he  had  occasion  to  visit 
Miss  Aldrich  in  person  and  to  express  to  her  his  deep 
gratitude  for  the  thorough  foundation  in  mathematics 
which  he  owed  entirely  to  her  careful  drill,  and  which 
later    served    him    in   such   good   stead   in   Worcester 

Academy. 

When  in  June,  1889,  Lawrence  finished  the  work  at 
the  grammar  school,  the  question  arose  whether  he  should 
continue  his  studies  at  the  high  school  at  Whitinsville  or 
go  to  Worcester  Academy,  where  his  brother  Charles 
was  already  enrolled  as  a  student.  The  decision  was  left 
largely  with  Lawrence  himself  and  it  involved  much  care- 
ful thought  on  his  part.  And  although  boarding-school 
life  at  Worcester  necessitated  a  severing  to  some  extent 
of  the  home  ties,  it  was  upon  this  latter  course  that  he 
finally  decided. 


38  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

There  are  few  experiences  in  life  which  a  normal  boy 
enjoys  more  thoroughly  at  the  time,  or  remembers  after- 
wards with  more  distinctness  than  those  connected  with 
his  high  school  days.  No  later  triumph  in  college  or  in 
the  world  of  action  has  in  it  precisely  such  exhilaration, 
no  subsequent  defeat  leaves  quite  as  bitter  a  sting  as  that 
which  each  newcomer  experiences  in  his  earliest  struggles 
to  assert  himself  among  his  peers  within  the  strange  and 
isolated  little  world  of  the  fitting  school,  in  those  few  bud- 
ding years  of  his  life  when  time  is  long  and  the  world  is 
new. 

The  preparatory  school  which  Lawrence  entered  at  the 
age  of  fifteen  in  the  fall  of  1889  was  one  excellently 
equipped  to  meet  the  needs  of  an  active  growing  boy. 
Worcester  Academy,  already  well  known  among  the 
boarding  schools  of  New  England  from  its  honourable 
record  of  over  a  half-century,  was  just  entering  upon  a 
new  era  of  material  expansion  under  Mr.  Abercrombie 
who  had  been  called  to  the  principalship  in  1882.  Dur- 
ing Lawrence's  school-days  three  new  buildings  costing 
over  ;^200,ooo  were  added  to  the  school  plant  and  the 
number  of  boys  in  the  academy  increased  to  nearly  2CX). 
The  scholarship  record  of  Worcester  Academy  graduates 
at  college  was  such  as  to  rank  it  among  the  best  fitting 
schools  in  New  England,  and  the  remarkable  success  of 
its  athletic  teams  had  given  it  an  enviable  name  in  the 
student  world. 

Lawrence  began  his  boarding-school  life  under  circum- 
stances which  made  the  breaking  of  home  ties  less  of  a 
wrench  than  it  has  been  for  many  boys.  His  brother 
Charles  had  already  been  in  residence  at  the  academy  for 
two  years  and  was  now  one  of  the  leading  men  in  the 
school.     It  had  been  arranged  that  the  two  boys  should 


Home  Life  and  Early  Training  39 

room  together  and  this  circumstance  gave  Lawrence  an 
excellent  opportunity  to  meet  his  brother's  chums  in  the 
upper  classes  as  well  as  the  members  of  his  own  class. 

Lawrence  joined  the  school  Y.  M.  C.  A.  within  a 
week  after  entering  the  academy  but  he  does  not  seem 
to  have  taken  any  active  part  in  its  meetings  other  than 
that  of  regular  attendance.  He  was  for  some  time  very 
distrustful  of  his  powers  as  a  speaker  and  the  results  of 
his  occasional  public  declamations  in  the  chapel  which 
constituted  a  part  of  his  regular  school  work  seem  to 
have  been  very  unsatisfactory  to  himself.  "  One  good 
thing  that  came  from  the  Thursday  meetings,"  he  wrote 
home  after  his  first  term,  "  was  the  formation  of  a  first 
year  Christian  Endeavour  Society.  I  have  joined  as  an 
associate  member.  They  wanted  me  to  join  as  an  active 
member  but  I  didn't  want  to  lead  the  meetings,  so  I 
didn't."  His  interest  in  the  preaching  services  during 
the  first  year  appears  to  have  been  no  more  nor  less  than 
that  of  a  normal  healthy  boy,  although  special  mention 
of  several  addresses  on  City  or  Foreign  Missions  is  to  be 
found  in  his  diary. 

Into  the  life  of  the  boys  he  entered  with  great  en- 
thusiasm. The  fact  that  he  was  not  strong  physically 
precluded  the  possibility  of  extensive  participation  in 
athletic  sports,  but  he  was  a  loyal  supporter  of  the  school 
and  of  his  class  in  all  the  athletic  competitions.  His 
diary  for  the  first  year  records  the  result  of  every  base- 
ball or  football  game,  with  ample  justification  for  the 
team  in  defeat  and  a  corresponding  joy  in  victory. 
Writing  home  to  the  family  on  the  occasion  of  a  notable 
victory,  he  had  happened  to  describe  with  much  detail  a 
banquet  which  the  whole  school  had  attended.  "  I  don't 
know  but  what  you  will  think,"  he  concluded,  *'  that  I 


40  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

cared  more  for  the  supper  than  for  the  game,  but  I  didn't." 
Later  in  the  year  he  wrote  regarding  the  inter-class  field 
sports, "  '93  was  second.  We  cheered  all  the  way  home." 
And  those  who  knew  Lawrence's  invincible  spirit  in  the 
more  serious  struggles  of  later  life  will  have  little  doubt 
as  to  the  identity  of  one,  at  least,  of  the  organizers  of  the 
defeated  but  unconquered  class  of  '93  in  its  march  back 
to  the  academy  grounds. 

To  his  studies  Lawrence  applied  himself  faithfully. 
He  was  neither  fond  of  study  nor  quick  to  learn  and  the 
results  obtained  were  not  always  commensurate  with  his 
efforts.  His  eldest  sister  who  was  at  home  with  him  for 
a  Christmas  vacation  wrote,  "  Lawrence  is  as  full  of  life 
and  thought  as  ever ;  a  most  interesting  boy.  I  cannot 
understand  why  his  studies  come  so  hard.  He  shows  the 
pluck  of  his  Puritan  ancestors  and  the  sweetness  of  an 
angel  about  it."  In  later  years  he  often  referred  with  no 
little  amusement  and  some  genuine  annoyance  to  what 
he  knew  to  have  been  an  overestimate  of  himself  in  his 
class  standing  during  the  first  term  at  preparatory  school, 
and  again  during  the  first  term  at  college,  in  courses 
where  his  brother  had  preceded  him  and  where  Charlie's 
brilliant  record  in  scholarship  made  a  presupposition  in 
Lawrence's  favour  at  the  start.  During  the  first  term  at 
Worcester  he  was  ranked  second  in  a  class  of  twenty- 
three  and  a  note  was  added  at  the  bottom  of  the  report- 
card — "  Lawrence  nearly  does  what  Charlie  does  so 
handsomely.  There  may  be  material  for  a  class  leader 
in  him  yet."  So  far  as  Lawrence  was  directly  responsible 
for  the  result,  the  high  rating  on  this  occasion  was  largely 
due  to  a  nearly  perfect  mark  in  mathematics.  ♦*  All  the 
fellows  were  in  my  room  before  the  mathematics  exam," 
he  wrote  home  in  exultation.     Nor  was  this  the  only 


Home  Life  and  Early  Training  41 

time  when  he  had  occasion  to  be  grateful  for  Miss 
Aldrich's  careful  grounding  in  accuracy  and  close  rea- 
soning. 

The  first  year  passed  uneventfully  with  httle  to  inter- 
rupt the  ordinary  routine  of  school  life.     When  he  re- 
turned to  Worcester  for  his  second  year,  his  circle  of  in- 
timate acquaintances  had  greatly  widened  and  he  entered 
upon   his  duties  with   much  more  self-confidence.     "  I 
spoke  in  prayer- meeting,"  his  diary  records  on  January 
16,  1891.     In  his  studies  he  still  worked  faithfully  and 
took  the  results  good-naturedly.     "  My  rank  last  term 
was  twenty-four.     I  don't  remember  the  term  before  as 
large  numbers  are  harder  to  remember  than  small  ones." 
Sophomore  year  was  for  him  preeminently  a  year  of  ven- 
tures, in  which  the  growing  lad  was  feeling  about  for  the 
special  line  of  achievement  in  which  he  might  prove  his 
powers  to  his  fellows.     The  first  of  these  did  not  bear  the 
fruit  which  he  had  anticipated. 

Before  nearly  every  boy  in  his  preparatory  school-days 
there  arises  sooner  or  later  an  alluring  vision  of  himself 
acclaimed  victor  before  an  admiring  crowd  of  onlookers, 
in  some  test  of  speed  or  endurance  with  his  fellows.     And 
the  vision  in  prospect  seems  so  easy  of  realization.     Who 
can  forget  the  joys  of  the  first  day  of  training  for  that 
initial  contest ;  the  supreme  satisfaction  of  self-imposed 
rigid  diet  and  of  early  hours  of  retiring  ;  the  absolute  as- 
surance, in  spite  of  discouraging  time  records  in  the  trial 
runs,  of  one's  ability,  somehow,  in  some  unexplained  way, 
to  distance  all  competitors  when  the  contest  shall  finally 
come.     And  who  will  forget  also  the  inevitable  issue  of 
that  first  contest,  when  the  tyro,  answering  to  his  name 
at  the  hne,  and  starting  forth  beneath  the  unsympathetic 
gaze  and  comments  of  the  stands,  seemed  to  himself  a 


42  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

petty  mortal  striving  against  gods,  as  gamely  struggling 
in  the  rear,  he  watched  the  frames  of  his  rivals  disappear- 
ing ahead  down  the  track,  propelled  as  it  were,  by  seven 
league  boots.  The  story  of  Lawrence's  athletic  aspira- 
tions is  best  told  in  the  brief  words  of  his  diary : 

May  6.  I  began  to  train  for  walking  (the  mile 
walk)  this  afternoon. 

May  II.     Went  to  gym  to  see  about  training. 

May  12.  Trained.  I  walked  as  far  as  the  ruins 
of  the  house. 

May  ig.  We  trained.  The  cinder  track  is 
being  laid. 

May  20.  We  trained.  The  track  was  laid  to- 
day. 

May  21.  We  trained  for  the  last  time  before 
the  sports. 

May  22.  I  got  my  gym  clothes  and  put  them 
in  a  bag  for  the  races. 

May  2 J.  (The  day  of  the  games.)  WiUiams 
walked  the  mile  in  eight  minutes, 
twenty  seconds.  I  walked  and  had 
150  yards  handicap  and  came  in 
150  yards  behind." 

This  performance  closed  Lawrence's  active  athletic 
career.  He  always  felt  in  later  years  that  it  had  been 
providential  that  he  had  not  been  able  to  engage  regularly 
in  athletics.  And  indeed  it  seems  probable  that  his  in- 
terest in  the  more  serious  achievements  of  his  life  must 
of  necessity  have  been  lessened  had  he  devoted  his  in- 
tense and  invincible  spirit  whole-heartedly  to  any  sport. 

Lawrence's   second   venture   of  sophomore  year  was 


Home  Life  and  Early  Training  43 

one  calculated  to  prove  of  more  lasting  value  to  the 
school  and  to  himself.  When  he  had  first  entered  the 
academy  the  thing  which  had  disappointed  him  most 
sorely  was  to  find  so  few  among  the  boys  who  loved  as 
he  did  the  woods  and  the  hills,  the  birds  and  the  flowers 
which  had  been  so  large  a  part  of  his  Hfe  at  Whitinsville. 
Writing  to  his  sister  early  in  May  he  told  the  story  of 
the  formation  of  the  Agassiz  Association,  in  which  he 
had  a  prominent  part. 

"  May  jd,  i8gi. 

"  I  want  to  tell  you  chiefly  about  our  Natural  History 
Society  which  we  will  after  this  call  the  Agassiz  Associa- 
tion, as  we  have  joined  that  society.  About  a  week  be- 
fore the  end  of  the  fall  term  Mr.  A asked  all  who  were 

interested  in  natural  history  to  meet  in  his  recitation 
room  and  talk  over  forming  a  society.  Nearly  thirty 
came  and  it  was  decided  at  the  beginning  of  the  winter 
term  to  call  a  meeting  and  form  a  society.  When  we  met 
we  elected  Rob  Smith  for  president  and  Aldrich  for 
vice-president.     Ever  since  we  formed  the  society  it  has 

been  on  the  high  wave  of  success.     You  see  Mr.  S is  a 

member  and  is  very  much  interested  and  although  Mr. 

A has  not  had  time  to  go  to  any  of  the  meetings,  yet 

we  know  that  he  wants  the  society  to  succeed,  so  we  have 
everything  in  our  favour.  We  have  a  room  in  the 
schoolhouse  (the   new  building)  for  our  collections  and 

hold  our  meetings  in  Mr.  S 's  recitation  room  on  the 

same  floor. 

"  At  the  meetings  we  have  papers  read  and  before  the 
end  of  this  term  we  hope  to  have  a  Harvard  professor,  a 

friend  of  Mr.  S 's,  give  us  a  lecture  on  geology.     We 

keep  a  log  of  all  the  flowers  and  animals  as  they  come 


44  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

and  after  a  few  years  it  will  be  interesting  to  compare 
these  and  notice  the  early  and  late  seasons. 

^  H<  ^  ^K  :ic  :(( 

"  We  took  our  walk  Monday  and  were  out  about  three 
hours.  We  all  had  a  perfectly  delightful  time.  We 
found  fully  thirty  flowers  in  bloom.  Rob  Smith  kept  the 
list.  I  found  one  new  flower,  the  dwarf  ginseng  or  ground 
nut.  I  see  that  you  found  it  at  Norton  but  we  haven't 
pressed  it  before.  Rob  brought  home  for  the  society 
meeting  a  black,  poisonous  water-snake,  but  we  put  him 
in  a  tin  box  so  that  he  is  perfectly  safe,  and  a  little  puff 
adder  about  a  foot  long.  We  think  we  shall  put  both  in 
alcohol.  We  found  several  common  lizards  and  one 
black  one  with  yellow  spots.  I  have  forgotten  his  name. 
****** 

*'  Yours  lovingly, 
"  Lawrence." 

The  society  flourished  for  many  years  and  continued 
to  hold  a  prominent  place  in  Lawrence's  interests  during 
the  whole  of  his  connection  with  the  school. 

In  June,  1891,  Charles  Thurston  graduated  from  the 
academy,  and  when  Lawrence  returned  to  school  the 
next  fall  at  the  beginning  of  junior  year,  he  entered  upon 
a  new  period  in  his  life.  For  the  first  time  he  may  be 
said  to  have  passed  entirely  outside  of  the  direct  influence 
of  the  family  circle.  His  brother's  departure  necessitated 
the  selection  of  a  roommate,  and  soon  subordinate  offices 
fell  to  his  lot  in  school  and  class  organizations  with  which 
Charlie  had  been  connected,  but  where  the  elder  brother 
was  no  longer  above  to  advise.  But  more  significant 
than  these,  coming  as  it  did  at  the  beginning  of  the 


Home  Life  and  Early  Training  45 

period  of  independent  action  in  his  life  was  his  joining 
of  the  church  at  Whitinsville  on  the  third  of  January, 
1892. 

His  decision  to  unite  with  the  Church  of  Christ  came 
about  in  a  perfectly  natural  way.  He  was  now  nearly 
eighteen  years  of  age,  and  when  his  father  had  raised  the 
question  of  a  public  profession  in  a  letter  to  him  in  the 
fall  he  had  at  once  responded  favourably  to  the  sugges- 
tion. He  could  point  to  no  definite  moment  of  conver- 
sion and  submission  to  the  will  of  God.  Both  inheritance 
and  surroundings  had  made  the  step  an  easy  and  natural 
one.  His  mother's  devotion  to  her  family  had  interpreted 
to  him  the  love-in-sacrifice  of  the  Master.  He  had 
learned  Christ's  great  principle  of  love-in-action  as  he 
had  listened  to  his  father's  bold  utterances  from  the  pulpit 
against  the  saloon,  and  then  had  watched  him  holding 
the  hose  of  the  volunteer  fire  company  in  a  heroic 
attempt  to  save  the  property  of  the  saloon-keeper  from 
burning  down.  Above  all  he  had  seen  the  working 
results  of  a  vital  Christianity  in  the  little  church  of  250 
members  in  whose  parish  he  had  been  reared,  which  was 
now  giving  between  five  and  ten  thousand  dollars  a  year 
for  foreign  missions,  and  whose  total  benevolences  often 
amounted  to  from  fifteen  to  twenty  thousand  dollars. 

But  although  this  decision  seems  to  have  been  the 
result  of  no  decided  change  of  heart,  there  was  a  very 
evident  change  in  Lawrence's  interests  and  activities 
with  the  beginning  of  the  winter  term  of  junior  year. 
To  a  nature  like  his  a  public  declaration  to  serve  Christ 
meant  actual  service.  He  had  not  been  back  at  school 
many  days  before  he  began  to  plan  for  a  camping  party 
with  some  of  his  classmates  on  the  Whitinsville  pond 
during  the  next  summer.     This  was  eventually  carried 


46  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

out  and  proved  to  be  the  beginning  of  the  annual  gath- 
erings which  in  later  years  meant  so  much  to  his  friends 
in  spiritual  uplift.  He  did  not  withdraw  from  the  school 
activities,  but  with  his  characteristic  practical  bent  of 
mind  proceeded  to  bring  his  Christianity  into  these  ac- 
tivities. His  informal  talks  and  the  society  debates  in 
which  he  took  part  were  now  concerned  with  more 
exclusively  ethical  problems.  With  his  friends  he  dis- 
cussed the  tobacco  question  and  the  opening  of  the 
World's  Fair  on  Sunday.  Late  in  the  spring  he  led  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  meeting  for  the  first  time.  The  subject 
was — "  Filling  our  hearts  with  good  things "  (Luke 
II :  21-27). 

In  his  preliminary  examination  for  admission  to  Yale 
College  at  the  close  of  junior  year  Lawrence  was  not  suc- 
cessful, and  he  returned  to  school  in  the  fall  of  1892  as  a 
senior  with  much  additional  curriculum  work  due  to  this 
failure,  and  with  many  new  extra  curriculum  interests. 
He  had  been  appointed  to  the  exalted  and  responsible 
position  of  a  school  monitorship.  He  had  also  accepted 
the  presidency  of  the  Agassiz  Association  and  an  assist- 
ant editorship  of  the  Academy,  the  school  paper.  The 
fall  term  kept  him  very  busy  and  brought  some  hours  of 
discouragement :  "  I  have  been  doing  very  poorly  in  my 
lessons,"  he  wrote  home  in  the  middle  of  December, 
"  and  that  has  worried  me.  I  have  felt  sometimes  as  if  I 
would  rather  drop  it  and  try  something  I  can  do,  but  I 
have  managed  to  keep  up  and  now  I  feel  a  great  deal 
better."  And  keep  at  it  he  did,  in  spite  of  failure  and 
disheartening  experiences,  for  Lawrence  had  set  his  face 
steadfastly  towards  Yale,  and  it  was  not  for  such  as  he, 
having  put  his  hand  to  the  plow  to  look  back,  or  having 
begun  to  build,  not  to  finish. 


Home  Life  and  Early  Training  47 

There  were  bright  hours  too  when  the  honest  effort 
which  he  was  exerting  towards  a  future  goal,  brought 
with  it  the  satisfaction  of  feeling  that  he  had  already  the 
right  to  count  himself  a  loyal  supporter  of  the  college  of 
his  choice  and  to  rejoice  in  her  triumphs.  As  the  day  of 
the  big  Yale-Harvard  football  game  at  Springfield  ap- 
proached, there  was  no  little  excitement  in  the  academy, 
and  the  colony  of  Yale  supporters,  although  in  the 
minority,  on  one  occasion  at  least,  had  the  best  of  the 
argument. 

"  Yesterday  morning  several  of  the  Harvard  fellows 
decked  their  windows  with  crimson  and  yelled  for  Har- 
vard, but  about  4  P.  M.  what  a  change  there  was.  The 
crimson  disappeared,  and  all  that  was  to  be  heard  from 
the  Harvard  men  were  low  murmurs  and  grumblings  and 
suggestions  for  us  to  wait  till  next  year  and  then  see 
what  Harvard  would  do.  It  was  also  amusing  to  see 
how  many  Yale  men  there  were  in  the  evening  compared 

to  the  few  in  the  morning.     As  Ben  W said  there 

were   three  Yale  supporters   at  breakfast   and  forty  at 
supper." 

At  the  beginning  of  the  winter  term  of  his  senior  year, 
Lawrence,  after  correspondence  with  his  father,  arrived 
at  a  decision  which,  as  his  friends  now  look  back  upon  it 
in  the  light  of  his  later  career,  appears  to  have  been  one 
of  the  most  important  of  his  life.  It  was  the  decision  to 
remain  another  year  after  graduation  at  the  academy, 
and  thus  be  able  to  enter  Yale  without  conditions.  To 
it,  Lawrence  came  slowly,  at  first  very  reluctantly,  as  is 
apparent  in  the  letter  which  follows.  Yet  had  Lawrence 
Thurston  entered  Yale   in    1893,  it   is   difficult  to  see. 


48  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

humanly  speaking,  how,  without  the  fellowship  of  the 
Volunteers  of  '98,  and  the  experiences  of  the  Yale  Mis- 
sionary Band,  his  life  could  have  rounded  out  as  it  did  to 
make  him  the  man  of  the  hour  as  the  pioneer  missionary 
of  the  Yale  China  Mission. 

*^  Ja?tuary  2g,  i8gj. 
"  You  seem  to  be  troubled  about  the  amount  of  out- 
side work  I  do.  During  the  last  two  weeks  while  I  have 
been  working  so  hard  I  don't  think  I  have  done  five 
hours  of  outside  work,  and  what  little  I  did  do  was  of  a 
nature  that  it  rested  my  mind  rather  than  tired  it,  except 
perhaps  last  night's  debate.  The  courage  to  plod  along 
in  lessons  which  I  do  not  succeed  in  is  what  I  need.  I 
suppose  if  I  took  German  in  college  I  might  be  able  to 
get  in  next  year  as  I  would  have  to  read  but  three  books 
of  the  Iliad  in  the  summer.  I  fear  I  would  have  to  give 
up  the  News  idea  [competition  for  a  position  on  the  edi- 
torial board  of  the  Yale  Daily  News\  if  I  did  that,  and 
that  would  disappoint  me  very  much.  I  want  to  do  the 
very  best  thing,  but  this  life  is  so  short  that  it  seems  to 
me  as  if  to  use  a  year  more  in  school  is  a  great  loss.  Of 
course,  the  question  is  whether  I  can  do  more  good  by 
staying  here  another  year  and  getting  better  fitted  for 
college  or  whether  a  year  of  life  outside  of  college  will  be 
better.  I  will  have  to  work  very  hard  if  I  do,  and  may 
have  to  shut  myself  up  more  than  I  believe  in  for  a  year 
or  two." 

Lawrence's  final  decision  vi^as  to  take  the  extra  year 
and,  this  decision  once  made,  he  experienced  that  peace 
and  contentment  which  is  ever  the  reward  of  those  who 
have  resolved  to  do  their  work  thoroughly  and  honestly, 


Home  Life  and  Early  Training  49 

whatever  may  be  the  temporary  sacrifice  or  however 
alluring  the  short  cut.  The  cloud  of  worry  and  self- 
distrust  passed  from  his  mind  and  his  letters  have  again 

their  old  ring. 

He  now  had  time,  too,  to  reflect  on  questions  relatmg 
to  more  than  his  immediate  future.  The  following  letter 
shows  the  problem  which  was  engaging  his  attention. 

"  March  26,  18 gj. 
"  This  morning  Mr.  Scott,  a  medical  missionary  to 
Ceylon,  preached  in  Union  Church.  As  he  is  just 
starting  for  the  field  and  has  done  no  work  as  yet,  he  of 
course  could  not  tell  us  much  about  the  work,  but  he 
gave  a  very  good  sermon.  It  seems  to  me  that  a  medi- 
cal missionary  has  one  of  the  greatest  opportunities  that 
can  come  to  a  man.     I  have  often  wished  that  I  liked 

medicine. 

"  I   have   been   interested  lately  in  counting  up  the 
number  of  professions  I  should  Hke  to  go  into.     Law  has 
a  tremendous  fascination  for  me  and  I  have  been  rather 
surprised  to  find  that  people  that  have  known  me  but  a 
short  time  rather  take  it  for  granted  that  I  am  going  to 
be  a  lawyer.     Along  with  law  comes  public  life  where 
there  is  such  a  large  field  for  doing  good.     The  ministry, 
at  home  or  abroad,  is  one  of  the  very  best  professions  for 
exerting  a  great  influence  for  good,  and  I  believe  it  is 
one  of  the  most  delightful.     Though  of  course  I  don't 
use  delightful  in  its  common  sense.     Then  I  am  very 
fond  of  journalism  and  there  again  is  a  wide  field.     Medi- 
cine I  have  mentioned.     The  teachers  have  a  noble  work 
to  do,  and  I  don't  mean  simply  the  academy  and  college 
professors  but  common  school  teachers.     I  have  always 
been  fond  of  business  and  probably  always  will  be. 


^o  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

"  Don't  think  I  have  mentioned  these  in  any  order,  for 
I  have  put  them  down  as  they  have  come  to  me.  What 
an  opportunity  a  young  man  does  have  and  how  short  a 
time  there  is  to  grasp  it  in !  " 

A  month  and  a  half  later  appears  another  significant 
paragraph  in  one  of  his  letters : 

"  This  evening  Mr.  Davis  presented  the  Chinese  side 
of  the  Geary  outrage.  I  never  realized  before  what  a 
future  there  was  before  China.  You  know  our  great  di- 
plomatist believes  that  the  Chinese  are  to  be  to  America 
what  the  Goths  and  Huns  were  to  Rome.  Whether  we 
believe  it  or  not  there  is  something  to  think  about  in  it." 

Although  Lawrence  had  decided  to  return  to  Worces- 
ter Academy  for  another  year,  he  completed  the  regu- 
lar school  work  and  received  his  diploma  with  the  class  of 
1893  in  June.  In  the  class  history  he  came  in  for  a  full 
share  of  good-natured  bantering.  "  Then  there  is  John  L. 
Thurston,"  the  history  reads,  "  a  man  with  a  perfectly 

rabid  affection  for  Yale.     With  Mr.  S [a  Harvard 

man]  he  wrangles  frequently  on  the  subject  and  is  often 
successful.  He  is  the  only  man  in  the  class  that  claims 
to  grind  and  this  he  does  incessantly.  He  has  without 
doubt  the  most  copious  vocabulary  of  slang  that  has  ever 
been  put  in  constant  use.  For  this  reason  Societies  for 
the  Prevention  of  Slang  have  been  frequently  organized 
for  his  benefit  but  with  indifferent  success."  The  gradu- 
ating class  numbered  twenty-two  men,  only  one  of  whom, 
his  roommate  Paul  Whitin,  was  to  be  with  him  later  in 
the  class  of  1898  at  Yale. 

It  was   during  the  summer  of  1893  that  Lawrence 


Home  Life  and  Early  Training  51 

attended  his  first  great  religious  conference,  and  its  effect 
on  his  subsequent  spiritual  interests  is  clearly  traceable. 
The  gathering  in  question  was  the  annual  convention  of 
the  Christian  Endeavour  Society  held  that  year  at  Mon- 
treal, from  July  5th  to  9th.  Lawrence  kept  a  careful 
record  of  the  journey  and  of  the  events  of  each  day, 
noting  the  main  points  in  each  devotional  address  with 
comments  of  his  own,  and  culling  from  the  discussions 
on  method,  suggestions  for  work  in  his  own  society  on 
his  return.  The  first  sermon  by  Dr.  Chapman,  on  •'  Re- 
ceive ye  the  Holy  Ghost,"  made  a  deep  impression.  A 
later  talk  on  "  Soul  Winning"  he  characterizes  emphat- 
ically as  "  a  very  important  subject."  It  seems  probable 
from  his  notes  that  it  was  at  this  conference  that  he  first 
caught  the  vision  of  the  power  of  a  surrendered  Hfe. 
The  fact  that  this  vision  first  came  to  him  where  it  did 
rather  than  at  the  student  gathering  at  Northfield  un- 
doubtedly accounts  largely  for  the  fact  that  even  in  his 
college  days  his  interests  lay  chiefly  in  the  deputation 
work  to  the  young  people  of  the  Christian  Endeavour 
Societies  of  the  surrounding  churches.  And  the  under- 
lying aim  of  the  Yale  Missionary  Band,  in  which  he  was 
later  to  play  so  prominent  a  part,  was  first  and  fore- 
most to  bring  the  Christian  forces  of  the  college  into 
more  vital  connection  with  the  Young  People's  So- 
cieties. 

During  the  last  weeks  of  the  summer  vacation  a  trip 
with  his  brother  Charles  to  the  World's  Fair,  at  Chicago, 
with  stop-overs  at  Washington,  Niagara  Falls  and 
Toronto  gave  an  excellent  preparation  for  the  busy  year 
which  was  to  follow.  Lawrence  returned  to  the  academy 
in  the  fall  of  1893  with  all  the  prestige  of  a  senior  but 
with  the  additional  advantage  of  the  experience  of  one 


52  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

senior  year  at  the  school.  He  came  back  also  with  a 
clean-cut  decision  to  make  his  life  count  for  Christ.  The 
stories  which  he  wrote  for  publication  in  the  school 
paper  of  which  he  still  continued  to  be  an  editor  have  no 
uncertain  ring.  What  a  year  after  graduation  from  col- 
lege often  means  to  a  young  man  in  settling  definitely  his 
principles  of  life,  if  spent  in  the  comparative  isolation  of 
travel,  advanced  study  or  temporary  teaching  before 
entering  upon  the  absorbing  activities  of  his  chosen 
career,  the  extra  year  at  Worcester  meant  to  Lawrence. 
He  had  before  him  a  definite  but  not  over-difficult 
task — to  enter  Yale  without  conditions.  Moreover  he 
was  mature  enough  not  to  confuse  opportunity  for  re- 
flection with  idleness. 

The  year  proved  to  be  one  of  special  religious  interest 
in  the  academy.  In  the  early  fall  Mr.  Sayford,  the 
evangelist,  spoke  for  several  evenings  in  succession 
before  the  boys,  and  many  committed  themselves 
definitely  to  the  Christian  life.  After  Mr.  Sayford  had 
left,  Lawrence  was  one  of  a  little  group  on  whom  fell 
the  responsibility  for  the  conserving  of  spiritual  results. 
The  work  had  a  reflex  influence  on  his  own  soul  life  and 
he  found  time  to  be  often  alone  with  God. 

^^  November  5,  i8g^. 
"  I  have  taken  several  delightful  walks  lately.  I  took 
one  very  fine  walk  about  five  miles  long  on  Wednesday. 
I  went  alone  and  enjoyed  myself  full  as  well,  for  then 
there  is  no  one  to  entertain  and  you  can  be  alone  with 
your  thoughts  and  nature.  There  is  something  fasci- 
nating to  me  in  being  alone  in  the  woods  and  fields. 
Perhaps  it  is  a  little  selfish  but  one  must  rest  once  in  a 
while." 


Home  Life  and  Early  Training  53 

A  letter  written  later  in  the  year  reveals  clearly  his  un- 
compromising attitude  towards  deviations  from  the 
standards  of  schoolboy  honour. 

..  It  has  been  quite  lively  here  this  week  in  more  ways 
than  one  First  three  boys  have  been  expelled  or  sus- 
nended  •     They  all   deserved   it  and   there   are     . 

more  like  them.     Friday  Mr.  A talked  to  us  about  the 

whole  matter  after  chapel.     The  root  of  the  ev.Us  dis- 
honesty, the  very  thing  that  1  spoke  of  while  at  home 
Lying  and  cheating  are  so  easy  for  schoolboy    to  fall 
into     They  don't  do  it  intentionally,  but  gradually  their 
consciences  become  blunted  and  before  they  know  it  a 
he  is  as  easy  as  a  cnb  on  the  Xenophon  margin  was  before. 
When  you  see  class  leaders  in  scholarship,  school  leaders 
in  athletics  stooping  to  little  meannesses  to  gam  a  point 
or  two  on  the  teacher's  book,  or  in  the  estimation  of 
their  fellows,  it  makes  you  sick  at  heart.     A  high  sense 
of  honour,  a  very  sensitive  conscience  are  rare  qualities 
I  wouldn't  imply  that  there  aren't  many  good  fellows  but 
their  standards  are  not  high  enough.     Their  ideals  are 
either  of  a  low  order  or  are  lacking  altogether.     .    .    • 

The  complications  which  arose  from  his  position  of 
spiritual  leadership  among  the  boys  were  not  without 
their  humorous  side. 

'  "January  21,  iSg^j.. 
"  There  was  a  great  horse  on  me  the  other  day  in  class 

and  Mr  A thought  it  was  so  good  he  told  me  to 

write  home  about  it;  so  here  goes.    The  question  was 
asked  Gary  who  Jacob  was  and  as  he  didnt  answer, 


54  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

Mr.    A asked   the   class.     Well   to   tell  the  truth, 

though  I  thought  he  was  Isaac's  son,  I  wasn't  sure,  so  I 
didn't   raise   my   hand.     So    few   said   they  knew  that 

Mr.  A thought  he  would  take  a  census  of  the  class  on 

the  subject.  First  all  those  who  knew  raised  their  hands, 
and  as  I  wasn't  sure,  my  conscience  wouldn't  let  me,  so 
when  those  who  didn't,  raised  their  hands,  I  had  to  too. 
Up  went  my  hand  and  down  came  Abie.  *  What,  a 
minister's  son  don't  know  who  Jacob  was  !  Well  what 
is  this  generation  coming  to  ? '  I  was  then  the  butt  of 
the  class  for  the  next  five  minutes.  He  told  me  I  had 
better  come  over  and  get  Dan's  book  of  Bible  stories, 
etc.  I  felt  like  informing  him  that  I  probably  had  more 
books  on  the  subject  than  all  of  his  kids  put  together. 
He  may  think  this  generation  doesn't  know  much  Bible, 
but  I'll  warrant  my  training  on  the  subject  in  a  New  Eng- 
land minister's  family  has  been  fully  as  good  as  his  on  a 
southern  plantation." 

It  was  early  in  March  that  Lawrence  disclosed  the 
secret  of  those  solitary  walks  among  the  quiet  hills,  to 
which  reference  has  already  been  made.  The  letter 
which  revealed  the  decision — to  which  he  had  come — 
the  first  fruits  of  the  miracle  of  obedience  in  his  life 
— rang  with  the  joyful  note  of  victory  and  the  decision 
itself  was  a  fitting  climax  to  the  first  period  of  his  life. 


,  "  March  4,  iSg^.. 

"  You  remember  about  a  year  ago  that  I  wrote  of  the 
five  professions  which  seemed  the  most  attractive  to  me. 
That  list  has  gradually  narrowed  down  till  now  one  seems 
to  be  the  prominent  one,  the  only  one  which  I  can  look 


Home  Life  and  Early  Training  j*^ 

forward  to.  It  may  not  be  the  one  which  in  God's 
providence  I  shall  follow.  I  may  have  mistaken  my 
calling  and  I  may  change.  But  it  is  not  the  decision  of 
a  moment,  nor  of  a  week,  or  month  but  that  of  nearly  a 
year  of  careful  thought.  I  have  prayed  over  it  and 
walked  many  miles  with  it  in  mind.  Now  it  seems  to 
me  and  has  seemed  for  several  weeks  that  God  has  un- 
mistakably called  me  to  the  ministry.  It  may  be  to 
missions  but  I  feel  more  probably  to  a  pastorate.  I 
can't,  I  would  not  resist  it. 

"  My  life  has  been  happier  for  the  past  few  weeks  than 
for  a  great  while,  I  do  not  know  why.  But  I  have  begun 
to  take  a  most  serious  view  of  life.  I  would  not  be 
pietistic  for  the  wide  world.  I  almost  consider  that 
wicked.  But  I  would  be  tremendously  in  earnest  about 
life.  To  go  through  life  or  even  to  start  in  life  without 
Christ,  with  no  thought  of  the  future,  only  for  self,  only 
for  pleasure,  carried  away  with  the  present,  is  something 
that  I  cannot  understand  a  person's  doing." 

Happy  years  indeed  they  were — those  early  years  of 
Lawrence's  life,  at  home  and  in  the  fitting-school. 
"  There  are  but  four  Sundays  left,"  he  wrote  from 
Worcester  on  May  20,  1 894,  "  and  then  my  letters 
from  Worcester  Academy  will  cease  and  five  years  of 
work  will  be  ended.  It  seems  hardly  possible  that  five 
years  have  gone  by  since  I  decided  in  papa's  study  to  go 
to  Worcester  Academy  instead  of  the  high  school. 
Five  years  ago  I  was  in  the  grammar  school  and  now 
when  I  go  back  to  that  same  school,  how  small  the  chil- 
dren look.  Five  years  ago  I  was  driving  the  cows  back 
from  the  pasture  and  I  wouldn't  have  missed  those  years 
of  simple  boyish  pleasure  for  anything." 


56  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

The  impression  which  he  left  on  the  school  is  well 
summed  up  in  letters  from  two  of  the  academy  in- 
structors. 

"  ...  I  first  knew  Lawrence  Thurston  when  he 
entered  Worcester  Academy.  .  .  .  He  was  a  small 
boy  not  overstrong,  but  he  enjoyed  life  as  a  young  boy 
ought  and  did  creditable  work  in  his  lessons.  I  watched 
his  development  of  mind  and  body  during  the  four  years 
of  his  preparation  for  college.  From  the  first  he  was  a 
young  man  of  principle.  He  had  ideals  and  was  con- 
sistent in  striving  to  reach  them,  but  his  thought  was  by 
no  means  for  himself  alone,  he  was  decidedly  public 
spirited.  What  was  for  the  good  of  the  class  or  for  the 
good  of  the  school  was  sure  to  interest  him.  He  had 
the  courage  of  his  convictions  too,  and  did  not  hesitate 
to  express  himself  even  though  his  cause  might  not  be 
popular.  Not  the  least  of  his  interests  was  the  religious 
life  of  the  school,  an  interest  which  grew  in  his  college 
life  to  be  a  passion.  But  in  all  his  zeal  I  never  heard 
that  any  one  questioned  his  sincerity.  In  a  word  my 
impression  of  Lawrence  Thurston  is  that  he  was  a  young 
man  of  no  extraordinary  powers  but  one  who  accom- 
plished much  by  his  splendid  zeal  and  sincerity  ;  a  young 
man  very  much  in  earnest,  sincerely  trying  to  live  up  to 
his  ideal,  and  to  bring  better  things  to  pass." 

"...  Lawrence  Thurston  inherited  the  strong 
convictions  which  make  so  rich  an  inheritance  for  the 
child  of  New  England.  He  belonged  to  the  best  stock 
of  that  New  England,  the  stock  that  never  talks  about 
itself,  but  is  always  doing  the  best  things  with  quiet 
modesty.     He  was  a  faithful  student  and  a  hard  worker, 


Home  Life  and  Early  Training  57 

at  Worcester  Academy,  not  daunted  by  tasks  which  he 
found  difficult.  In  the  building  and  about  the  grounds 
he  was  always  frank  and  sunny.  He  was  not  the  type 
of  boy  who  never  gets  into  mischief  because  he  has  no 
fun  in  him.  There  was  always  in  his  eye  a  merry  look 
which  did  good  like  a  medicine,  and  in  his  heart  the  fun 
which  gave  pleasure  rather  than  pain.  His  religious  life 
was  like  the  rest  of  his  school  life,  normal  and  happy 
and  helpful.  He  stands  to  me  the  type  of  a  sturdy  but 
sympathetic,  strong  but  happy  Christianity.  The  im- 
pression of  sunny,  lovable  strength  which  he  made  upon 
us  at  Worcester  was  permanent  and  is  worth  recording. 
His  goodness  was  of  the  wholesome  kind  which  deserves 
the  permanence  it  attained." 

In  June,  1894,  Lawrence  was  successful  with  the 
entrance  examinations  and  received  a  clean  paper  of 
admission  to  Yale.  For  five  years  at  Worcester  Acad- 
emy he  had  been  quietly  laying  out  his  plans  to  meet 
any  testing  which  the  heavy  gales  of  the  coming  years 
might  bring.  His  modest  Httle  vessel  made  slight  dis- 
play as  it  slipped  from  the  stays  for  its  trial  in  the  test- 
ing waters  of  college  life.  For  some  time  the  little  ship 
ran  by  the  side  of  the  rest  unnoticed.  But  it  could  not 
be  for  long.  The  ship  had  been  builded  as  under  the 
eye  of  an  eternal  Father.  The  keel  of  equity  and  the 
ribs  of  truth  and  righteousness  were  there. 


Ill 

Four  Years  at  Yale 


"  Yale  is  a  place  for  work.  Few  who  go  to  Yale  and  stay  are  not  busy. 
The  student  is  held  steadily  to  a  reasonable  amount  of  mental  effort 
whether  or  no  he  went  to  New  Haven  to  learn  from  his  teachers  and  his 
books.  In  his  life  with  his  fellows  he  is  held  as  steadily  and  more  relent- 
lessly to  some  kind  or  other  of  labour.  Otherwise  he  is  not  of  that  life." 
—  Welchy  "  Yale,  Her  Campus ^  Classrooms  and  Athletics, ^^  p.  ly. 

"  The  longer  I  live  the  more  certain  I  am  that  the  great  difference  be- 
tween men,  the  feeble  and  the  powerful,  the  great  and  the  insignificant, 
is  energy  and  invincible  determination — a  purpose  once  fixed  and  then 
death  or  victory.  That  quahty  will  do  anything  that  can  be  done  in  this 
world ;  and  no  titles,  no  circumstances,  no  opportunities  will  make  a  two 
legged  creature  a  man  without  it." — Sir  Thomas  Buxton. 

"  One  boy  here  resolves — I  will  win  this  scholarship ;  I  will  be  head 
of  the  school ;  I  will  be  captain  of  the  eleven ;  and  does  it.  Another  re- 
solves— this  school  shall  be  purer  in  tone,  simpler  in  habits,  braver  and 
stronger  in  temper  for  my  presence  here  ;  does  his  best  but  doubts  after 
all  whether  he  has  succeeded.  I  need  not  say  that  the  latter  is  the  best 
idealist;  but  which  is  the  most  successful?  " — Thomas  Hughes. 


Ill 

FOUR  YEARS  AT  YALE 

THE  first  days  of  life  at  a  great  university  are 
apt  to  evoke  in  the  newcomer  feelings  which 
vary  alternately  between  inspiration  and  deep 
depression.     There  is  a  supreme  satisfaction  in  the  as- 
surance that  one  is  actually  a  part  of  a  well-known  in- 
stitution of  learning  and  has  earned  the  right  to  rank 
himself  a  member  of  a  brotherhood  which  includes  some 
of  the  most  distinguished  men  of  the  land.     But  there 
often  follows  in  the  wake  of  such  a  thought  a  feeling  of 
self-distrust,  when  one  realizes  through  actual  contact 
how  great  in  numbers  and  resources  the  university  really 
is,  how  exacting  are  its  demands  and  how  intense  is  the 
life  which  throbs  in  its  veins. 

It  was  not  strange  that  Lawrence  should  have  been,  as 
he  himself  once  expressed  it,  overawed  by  the  new  sur- 
roundings into  which  he  came.     - 1  entered  college  a  much 
scared  freshman,  independent  to  the  last  degree  but  too 
scared  to  be  fresh."     He  once  wrote  to  a  friend    "    .    .    . 
I  was  not  fitted  to  deal  with  classmates.     I  was  afraid  of 
them  and  at  the  same  time  repelled  them  in  some  way  or 
other.     I  did  not  understand  deaUng  with  men  and  I  fear 
I  do  not  now— that  is  in  the  aggregate."     Two  of  his  im- 
mediate family  it  is  true,  a  father  and  a  brother,  had  al- 
ready preceded   him   at   Yale ;   and  from  them  he  had 
learned  much  regarding  the  ideals  and  traditions  of  the 
college.     His  brother,  because  of  the  extra  year  which 

6i 


62  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

Lawrence  had  spent  at  Worcester,  was  now  three  years 
ahead  of  him  at  Yale,  ranking  second  in  scholarship  in  a 
class  of  over  250  students.  But  in  the  new  environment 
this  counted  for  little.  The  relations  between  classes  of 
several  hundred  men  in  a  large  university  were  far  differ- 
ent from  those  between  forms  of  twenty-five  or  thirty  men 
in  a  boarding-school.  It  is  distinctive  of  Yale  Hfe  that 
each  class  is  a  Httle  community  in  itself,  left  alone  by  the 
rest  of  the  student  body  to  develop  its  own  leaders  dur- 
ing the  first  three  years  of  the  course  and  subject  only  to 
college  traditions  of  order  and  propriety,  imposed  by  the 
distant  and  exalted  seniors.  In  time,  if  he  proved  him- 
self worthy,  Lawrence  must  inevitably  be  where  his 
brother  was,  but  he  must  first  fight  his  own  battles  in  a 
different  community,  where  no  record  but  his  own  would 
ultimately  count. 

There  were  other  circumstances  which  made  the  new 
order  of  things  seem  stranger  than  it  has  for  some. 
Lawrence  entered  Yale  from  a  school  which  prepared 
mainly  for  Harvard  and  consequently  he  knew  but  few 
members  of  his  class  at  the  start.  Moreover  the  college 
was  passing  through  a  period  of  reconstruction.  While 
every  college  generation  is  to  a  greater  or  less  degree  a 
period  of  gradual  transition  from  one  order  of  things  to 
another  in  student  thought  and  tradition,  the  decade  of 
the  nineties  which  included  the  four  years  of  Lawrence's 
student  life  saw  the  agitation  and  in  some  cases  the  actual 
consummation  of  changes  in  Yale  life  so  radical  in  their 
nature  as  to  stamp  these  years  beyond  question  as  the  be- 
ginning of  a  new  era  in  the  life  of  the  institution.  Dur- 
ing these  years  the  boasted  democracy  of  Yale  was  put 
to  a  searching  test.  Within  the  decade  in  question  Yale 
passed  from  a  college  into  a  university.     In  the  year  1895 


Four  Years  at  Yale  63 

twice  as  many  men  were  enrolled  as  students  in  the 
academical  department  as  had  been  enrolled  ten  years 
previous  ;  the  prosperity  of  the  country  had  largely  in- 
creased the  number  of  sons  of  wealthy  famihes  who  an- 
nually sought  admission ;  and  the  growth  of  the  college  in 
equipment  and  material  resources  had  kept  pace  with  the 
increase  in  students.  With  the  new  order  of  things  the 
simple  buildings  of  the  old  brick  row  soon  began  to  make 
way  for  the  modern  dormitory  with  its  more  luxu- 
rious appointments.  In  1893  and  1894  South  College, 
Atheneum  and  North  Middle  were  demolished  in  rapid 
order,  and  as  their  successors  arose  the  well  equipped 
structures  of  Vanderbilt,  White  and  Berkeley.  It  was 
inevitable,  with  the  increased  number  of  men  who  now 
entered  Yale  from  each  of  the  larger  fitting  institutions, 
that  the  better  known  Yale  preparatory  schools  should 
make  themselves  felt  more  strongly  as  controlling  forces 
in  student  politics  during  freshman  year.  The  society- 
system  of  the  college,  which  had  been  no  more  than 
adequate  when  the  classes  numbered  ioo,still  remained  un- 
changed, notwithstanding  the  fact  that  each  class  was  now 
composed  of  nearly  three  times  as  many  men  as  formerly. 
There  naturally  resulted,  especially  in  the  earlier  years  of 
the  course,  an  intensity  of  interest  in  society  matters  and 
acute  competition  for  social  recognition,  which,  while  not 
without  its  value  in  calling  forth  the  student's  best  efforts, 
gave  to  many  men  a  very  disproportionate  view  of  the 
things  of  real  value  in  college  life.  In  a  decade  Yale  had 
grown  fast  and  to  this  growth  her  institutions  and  tradi- 
tions had  not  yet  been  fully  adjusted. 

And  yet  in  spite  of  temporary  confusion  of  real  values, 
in  the  earlier  years  of  the  course,  few  men  passed  through 
Yale  in  those  days  who  failed  to  realize  what  ultimately 


64  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

counted  in  the  estimate  of  a  man  among  his  fellows. 
The  judgment  might  be  long  deferred  but  it  was  sure. 
Persistent  effort,  steady  development,  fair  play,  and  man- 
hood— these  were  the  final  tests.  Yale  was  a  place  for 
work.  Few  would  deny  this.  A  man  must  be  busy 
about  something.  But  Yale  was  more  than  this ;  it  was  a 
place  for  development ;  there  was  room  for  the  man  who 
entered  with  a  handicap.  It  was  not  enough  that  one 
had  done  something  in  days  gone  by,  or  even  arrived  at 
an  exceptional  state  of  proficiency  in  his  special  line.  Of 
the  gifted  man  without  the  handicap  more  was  required. 
No  matter  how  high  a  man  started  in  freshman  year  the 
college  sentiment  demanded  relentlessly,  that  the  work 
done  in  each  succeeding  year  must  be  superior  to  that 
done  the  year  before.  Furthermore  Yale  was  a  place 
where  every  man  must  have  fair  play — an  equal  chance 
for  this  development.  There  could  be  no  place  for  one 
who  had  attained  by  suppressing  his  rivals  rather  than  by 
surpassing  them  in  a  fair  and  open  contest.  Lastly,  the 
final  test  of  a  man  was  manhood ;  not  the  offices  which 
he  held,  not  the  record  of  what  he  had  done,  but  what 
these  offices  and  achievements  had  wrought  in  him. 

It  is  a  tribute  to  the  genuineness  and  permanency  of 
these  Yale  ideals  that  Lawrence  Thurston,  although  his 
reward  was  not  immediate,  seems  never  to  have  doubted 
their  ultimate  issue.  He  early  recognized  that  it  was  not 
appointed  him  to  be  a  leader  in  the  conventional  Hnes  of 
college  activity.  Entering  Yale  with  no  extraordinary 
gifts  of  body  or  mind  he  belonged  distinctly  in  the  earlier 
years  to  the  rank  and  file  of  the  class.  When  we  first 
came  to  know  him  he  seemed  to  have  accepted  the  fact 
and  to  be  mainly  engaged  in  cultivating  within  his  life 
some  of  the  fundamental  traits  of  Christian  Hfe  in  which 


Four  Years  at  Yale  65 

there  was  room  for  all  to  excel  and  which  no  classmate, 
not  even  the  most  prominent  man  in  the  class,  could 
preempt.  He  had  apparently  grasped  the  great  truth 
that,  if  he  was  not  able  to  lead  in  conventional  lines  as 
some  others  did,  he  could  at  least  be  always  pure  and 
honest  and  unselfish  and  grateful.  And  as  his  friends 
watched  him  term  after  term,  they  saw  perfected  in  him, 
by  a  process  as  natural  and  inevitable,  yet  every  whit  as 
wonderful  as  the  ripening  of  the  full  corn  in  the  ear,  the 
miracle  of  obedience — the  ordinary  man  become  the  leader. 

Shy,  self-distrustful  of  his  powers  as  he  entered  Yale, 
he  saw  before  him  two  definite  lines  of  work  which  were 
plainly  his  duty,  his  studies  and  his  service  of  Christ,  and 
to  these  he  devoted  himself  with  an  unflinching  purpose. 
Nothing  is  more  characteristic  of  him  than  his  career  in 
scholarship,  with  its  steady  advance  term  after  term  and 
year  after  year  till  commencement  day.  Although  he 
had  been  unsuccessful  in  some  studies  in  the  preparatory 
school,  he  entered  college  without  a  condition  and  carried 
out  successfully  his  determination  never  to  be  in  danger 
of  receiving  a  single  condition  during  his  college  days. 
He  missed  the  first  division  in  scholarship  by  four  points 
in  the  first  term  of  freshman  year.  He  exceeded  the 
required  first  division  stand  by  three  points  during  the 
second  term.  He  received  a  dissertation  standing  \_t.  e.y 
the  fourth  group  of  eight  on  the  Yale  honour  list]  for 
the  work  of  the  first  two  years ;  he  graduated  with  an 
oration  standing  \i.  e.,  the  next  highest  group  above  the 
dissertation]  for  the  four  years  of  the  course. 

And  the  same  spirit  of  persistent  effort  of  steady  de- 
velopment which  characterized  his  studies,  Lawrence 
carried  into  what  was  to  be  the  consuming  passion  of  his 
college  days — his  service  of  Christ.     In  one  of  his  earliest 


66  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

letters  home  from  college  he  had  expressed  the  hope  that 
this  might  be  the  center  of  all  his  college  hfe.  On  the 
first  Sunday  night  of  his  student  life  he  associated  him- 
self definitely  with  Yale's  organized  Christian  work. 
The  class  of  which  he  was  a  member  was  strong  in 
Christian  men,  over  two-thirds  of  the  number  being 
church-members  when  they  entered.  There  were  many 
opportunities  for  service  in  the  college  Christian  Asso- 
ciation whose  activities  were  centered  in  Dwight  Hall 
under  the  vigorous  leadership  of  WiUiam  H.  Sallmon, 
later  president  of  Carleton  College,  who  at  that  time  had 
just  graduated  from  Yale,  and  had  returned  as  general 
secretary.  The  stimulus  which  this  side  of  Yale  Hfe 
proved  to  him,  and  the  spirit  with  which  he  gave  himself 
to  it  is  well  portrayed  in  a  letter  written  after  his  grad- 
uation from  college : 

"  I  decided  to  be  a  minister  in  preparatory  school  and 
thought  at  least  that  I  faced  the  missionary  question. 
But  I  think  it  is  safe  to  say  that  my  spiritual  develop- 
ment really  began  at  college.  You  know  the  story  of 
my  volunteering.  Northfield  undoubtedly  marked  an 
epoch  in  my  hfe,  and  that  first  summer  saw  me  stumping 
the  country  for  missions, — easily  one  of  the  best  means 
of  growth  that  ever  came  to  me.  Sophomore  year,  mis- 
sions began  in  earnest,  and  by  junior  year  I  was  manag- 
ing the  study  class." 

One  of  his  earliest  letters  home  describes  more  fully 
the  opportunities  which  opened  up  before  him : 

"  October  21  y  18^4.. 
"  Dear  Ones  : 

"  Whatever  idea  I  may  have  given  you  of  the 

other  phases  of  college  life  from  the  store  of  my  small 


Four  Years  at  Yale  67 

experience,  if  I  remember  correctly,  there  is  one  side  of 
it  which  I  have  not,  as  yet,  mentioned.  And  it  is  rather 
strange,  as  I  hope  it  is  to  be  the  center  of  all  my  college 
life.     That  is  the  Christian  hfe  at  college. 

*<  Of  course  it  is  almost  entirely  conducted  by  classes 
and  in  very  few  cases  do  the  members  of  the  different 
classes  come  in  contact.  The  class  prayer-meetings  come 
directly  after  the  morning  service  and  the  subject  is  the 
same  for  all.  So  far,  ours  has  been  well  attended  and  not 
much  time  is  lost  between  the  speakers.  It  is  not  a 
question  of  when  one  wishes  to  speak,  but  of  when  one 
can  get  a  chance  to  speak. 

"  Wednesday  evening  comes  the  Bible  class  which 
must  have  over  fifty  members,  some  active,  some  asso- 
ciate. The  leader  is  A.  P.  Stokes,  Jr.,  of  '96.  He  is 
senior  deacon  of  his  class  and  evidently  a  very  earnest, 
fine  fellow.  The  topic  is  '  The  Life  of  Christ,'  and  we 
are  expected  to  do  some  studying  on  it,  though  of  course 
questions,  except  in  a  general  way,  are  impossible. 
Stokes,  however,  is  full  of  the  subject,  and  we  will  get  a 
great  deal  of  inspiration  from  the  class  I  don't  doubt. 

"  Last  Thursday  evening  there  was  started  a  class  for 
the  study  of  missions  with  the  special  topic  of  *  The  His- 
torical Development  of  the  Missionary  Idea.'  It  is  a 
class  especially  for  volunteers,  and  is  open  to  all  four 
classes  in  college,  but  they  are  glad  to  have  any  one  in- 
terested in  missions  come  in  with  them  and  so  I  have 
gone  into  that  work.  But  I  mean  that  this  shall  be  only 
conditional,  for  there  are  other  things  calling  for  more 
earnest  attention.  This  class  will  also  meet  once  a  week 
and  calls  for  outside  work  which  any  one  entering  it  will 
gladly  give. 

"  To-day  something  else  has  come  up  which  presents 


68  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

itself  more  strongly  to  me  than  anything  else  so  far. 
That  is  a  training  class.  It  is  to  be  composed  of  fifteen 
men  from  the  class  and  to  be  led  by  H.  T.  Fowler,  vice- 
president  of  the  graduate  department.  As  the  class  is  to 
be  limited  I  may  not  get  into  the  '98  class,  and  may  have 
to  enter  the  general  class  from  the  university.  It  will 
inevitably  bring  me  in  contact  with  the  most  earnest  men 
of  the  class  and  college,  and  that  is  just  what  I  want.  I 
was  in  doubt  as  to  whether  I  was  consecrated  enough. 
But  I  have  entered  my  name  and  God  will  help  me. 

"  All  this  may  seem  to  you  a  great  deal  to  undertake 
but  really  it  is  not  much  and  I  hope  to  take  up  more 
before  the  end  of  my  course.     .     .     . 

"  With  lots  of  love, 

"  Lawrence." 

During  the  fall  term  of  freshman  year  Lawrence  was 
busy  in  many  forms  of  Christian  work.  It  was  in  Feb- 
ruary of  that  same  year,  during  the  visit  of  Sherwood 
Eddy  to  Yale,  that  he  was  brought  face  to  face  with  the 
greatest  decision  of  his  life — the  call  to  foreign  mission- 
ary service.  The  steps  by  which  he  was  led  to  volunteer 
he  has  himself  outlined  in  the  letter  which  he  wrote  to 
his  parents  informing  them  of  the  decision  to  which  he 
had  come. 

"  New  Haven,  Conn.,  February  16,  i8g^, 
"  Dear  Ones  at  Home  : 

"  The  greatest  decision  of  my  life  has  been  made 
during  the  past  week.  I  am  a  member  of  the  Student 
Volunteer  Movement.  I  have  expressed  my  purpose  in 
writing  of  becoming  a  foreign  missionary  if  God  permits. 
This  is  how  the  decision  was  made.     I  had  been  very 


Four  Years  at  Yale  69 

much  moved  by  Eddy's  addresses,  but  yet  not  more  than 
usual,  as  I  have  always  been  intensely  interested  in  for- 
eign missions.     Tuesday  afternoon,  B ,  chairman  of 

the  Religious  Committee,  met  me  and  asked  me  to  sign 
with  him,  I  said,  '  No,'  and  gave  my  reasons,  which 
seemed  satisfactory.  Then  he  wanted  my  advice  as  to 
his  own  decision.  I  told  him  I  would  talk  with  him  in 
the   evening.     In   the   meanwhile    I  went   to  Eddy  for 

advice,  and  after  he  had  advised  me  about  B ,  he 

asked  me  my  reason  for  not  signing.  I  explained  that  I 
was  perfectly  wilhng  to  go  anywhere,  but  that  I  did  not 
wish  to  set  my  heart  on  either  home  or  foreign  work,  for 
fear  of  needless  disappointment,  and  that  besides  my 
rheumatism  troubled  me  so  much,  that  I  feared  that  life 
and  money  would  be  thrown  away  in  sending  me.  He 
answered  the  second  objection  by  saying  there  were 
many  climates  more  favourable  for  those  subject  to  rheu- 
matism than  this,  and  that  I  might  also  be  cured.  In 
regard  to  the  first,  he  said  that  my  influence  would  be 
helpful  to  the  Movement,  and  that  during  my  college 
course  I  might  multiply  my  life  several  times  by  being 
identified  with  the  Movement.  This  set  me  to  thinking. 
I  made  an  appointment  with  him  for  the  next  afternoon. 

Then  I  went  to  see  B and  set  him  to  thinking  on  an 

article  in  the  February  Student  Volunteer,  by  Jessup, 
discussing  the  twelve  classes  of  men  not  wanted  as  foreign 
missionaries,  and  ending  with  an  appeal  for  men.  It  must 
have  had  a  powerful  influence.  I  know  it  did  on  me. 
When  I  came  home  that  night,  I  prayed  as  I  never  had 
before.  It  was  a  fearful  struggle  and  I  slept  undecided. 
I  thought  I  was  willing  to  go  anywhere,  but  when  it 
came  to  setting  my  face  steadfastly  towards  the  foreign 
field,  it  seemed  a  different  thing.     The  next  morning  I 


yo  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

prayed  and  it  was  decided.  It  was  all  over  and  only  once 
or  twice  did  a  thought  come  of  looking  back.  Eddy 
would  not  let  me  sign  without  seeing  a  doctor  about  my 
rheumatism.  ...  I  have  come  to  the  conclusion 
that  any  hindrance  from  rheumatism  is  included  in  the 
card,  which  simply  reads,  *  It  is  my  purpose,  if  God  per- 
mit, to  become  a  foreign  missionary." 

The  joy  which  the  decision  brought  to  the  parsonage 
at  Whitinsville  can  well  be  imagined.  Lawrence's  father 
had  been  detained  by  the  hand  of  God  from  entering  the 
foreign  field  and  it  had  been  the  deepest  desire  of  his 
heart  that  a  son  of  his  might  fill  the  place  which  he  had 
planned  to  occupy  in  China.  That  this  decision  of  Law- 
rence's was  reached  without  undue  urging  on  the  part  of 
his  father  is  further  evident  from  a  letter  which  he  wrote 
home  the  following  week. 

"  February  2jy  i8g^. 

"  One  of  the  things  which  has  made  my  volunteering 
easy  has  been  the  assurance  that  I  would  receive  but  a 
God's  speed  from  my  family.  The  letters  from  papa  and 
mamma  this  week  have  been  additional  evidence  of  this 
feeling  and  it  has  been  a  great  comfort  to  me.  We  who 
have  been  brought  up  on  missions  all  our  Hves  hardly 
realize  how  hard  it  is  for  many  to  even  persuade  their 
families  to  let  them  go.  George  Eddy  says  that  hun- 
dreds are  kept  back  simply  because  of  the  opposition  of 
friends. 

"  I  am  also  very  thankful  that  I  have  never  been  urged 
to  go  or  in  fact  spoken  to  on  the  subject  of  a  missionary 
life  for  myself.  Now  that  I  have  taken  the  greatest  step 
in  the  way  of  a  purpose  for  life  that  a  man  can  take,  I 


Four  Years  at  Yale  71 

feel  that  I  may  speak  on  this  more  freely  than  before. 
A  minister's  son  is  at  a  greater  advantage  than  a  busi- 
ness man's  son  in  that  he  is  absolutely  free  to  choose  his 
occupation.  Yet  I  have  no  doubt  that  many  a  minister's 
son  is  so  pestered  by  hints,  if  not  by  direct  urging,  to 
follow  his  father's  calHng,  that  he  is  driven  further  and 
further  away  from  any  thought  of  it.  This  has  not  been 
my  misfortune.  On  the  contrary,  I  have  been  absolutely 
free  to  think  the  matter  over,  weigh  the  arguments  for 
and  against,  and  decide  for  myself.     .     .     ." 

What  this  decision  meant  to  his  own  classmates  in 
inspiration  and  example  has  been  sketched  by  one  of 
them. 

"  The  closest  ties  binding  us  from  the  very  first  days  of 
the  term  were  those  of  our  religious  work.  We  discov- 
ered each  other  in  one  of  the  early  meetings  in  Dwight 
Hall,  where  we  had  both  taken  a  strong  stand  for  the 
most  earnest  purposes  of  the  course.  I  think  that  every 
man  feels  himself  strangely  drawn  to  those  who  in  the 
same  spirit  speak  out  their  mind  in  those  early  meetings 
for  decision,  recognizing  how  much  of  common  interest 
it  is  going  to  mean  in  the  coming  days.  My  brother  and 
I  spoke  of  the  pleasure  of  finding  that  the  man  across  the 
hall  was  '  dead  in  earnest '  and  we  consequently  became 
most  intimate.  It  was  a  time  of  peculiar  rehgious  inter- 
est at  Yale  along  missionary  lines.  A  secretary  of  the 
Student  Volunteer  Movement  stayed  at  Yale  for  a  num- 
ber of  days  in  conference  with  many  of  us  who  were 
trying  to  solve  the  life-work  problem.  It  was  not  a 
hurried  stirring  of  emotion  or  unwise  enthusiasm  but  a 
most  thoroughgoing  searching  of  motives  and  plans  of 


72  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

life  that  the  little  group  of  *  ninety- eight '  men  were 
making.  The  religious  meetings  felt  the  result  of  it  and 
it  was  far  from  infrequent  to  find  the  conversation  drift- 
ing towards  the  question, '  Well,  have  you  decided  what 
you  are  going  to  do  with  yourself?'  There  were  three 
men  who  had  the  missionary  decision  settled  when  they 
entered  college  and  these  were  the  nucleus  about  which 
others  gathered.  The  secretary  was  staying  in  my  room, 
and  here  many  of  the  interviews  were  held  that  were 
helping  men  to  the  decisive  step.  Laurie  was  among 
these  who  faced  the  problem  fearlessly  and  with  his  usual 
freedom  from  all  consideration  of  his  own  pleasures  and 
ambitions.  He  was  very  doubtful  whether  he  had  strength 
enough  to  face  missionary  work,  but  the  question  that 
staggered  most  of  us  seemed  the  most  easy  for  him  to 
settle.  He  was  willing  to  do  anything  that  God  made 
clear  to  him  as  His  will,  and  that  became  the  predomi- 
nating mark  of  his  earnestness.  The  question  of  his 
health  became  a  matter  for  the  future  to  decide,  and 
he  volunteered  in  the  quiet  spirit  of  a  man  of  mature 
judgment  without  emotion  or  romance.  It  was  a  simple 
problem  as  he  used  to  discuss  it.  The  solution  of  life 
was  to  get  into  the  place  where  a  man  was  needed  most 
and  there  spend  such  strength  and  ability  as  God  had 
given  him,  to  the  last  ounce,  but  always  tempered  with 
an  unbiased  judgment  and  the  broadest  view  obtainable. 
"  It  is -this  missionary  decision  that  swallows  up  every 
other  memory  of  our  freshman  year.  It  was  the  main 
spring  of  our  religious  life  and  for  the  matter  of  that  it 
was  the  chief  influence  of  all  our  struggles  and  purposes. 
I  remember  some  of  the  fellows  showing  more  or  less  of 
intensity  and  over- enthusiasm  in  those  strenuous  days, 
but  Laurie  in  my  memory  kept  that  reserve  of  balance 


Four  Years  at  Yale  73 

that  so  strongly  marked  his  life  in  later  years.  He  was 
not  swept  away  in  any  sense.  He  followed  the  natural 
currents  of  his  life  and  these  led  him  to  that  point  of 
conviction  that  the  greatest  need  he  would  ever  find  was 
in  the  countries  of  the  East  and  that  if  he  should  be  free 
when  the  time  came  for  sailing,  there  was  the  place  for 
him.  He  used  to  speak  of  the  practical  tendencies  of  his 
mind  and  the  fact  that  he  could  teach  carpentry  and  farm- 
ing, if  he  couldn't  handle  their  philosophy. 

"  Missions  had  no  glamour  for  him.     He  saw  the  work 
and  its  privations  as  clearly  as  a  man  may  from  this  side 
of  the  seas ;  he  knew  its  discouragements  and  its  possible 
dangers  ;  and  he  set  his  mind  and  heart  for  the  long  run- 
ning fight  with  the  evils  and  indifference  he  would  meet 
there.     Those  were  the  earnest  days   of  life,  when  the 
spirit  outran  the  body  and  the  cost  seemed  small,  if  only 
there  was  a  clear  light  shining  somewhere.     We  used  to 
get  up  on  the  high  window  seats  of  the  top  floor  of 
Lawrance  in  the  evening  and  look  across  the  tops  of  the 
campus  elms  talking,  until  late  hours,  of  those  elements 
of  life  that  prove  that  humanity  has  God  within  reach. 
Laurie  had  the  '  single  eye '  if  ever  man  had.     Some  of 
us  were  spending  most  of  the  time  counting  the  cost  and 
weighing  personal  ambitions  or  business  openings  against 
these  thoughts    of    responsibility  and  men's  need,  and 
many  a  time  he  put  the  clear  word  into  the  conversation 
that  showed  us  the  principles  that  lay  deeper  than  we  had 
yet  mined.     Selfish  things  troubled  him  little,— less  than 
most  men.     He  had  the  ambitions  and  the  tendencies  to- 
wards that  selfish  life  but  they  were  far  outweighed  by 
the  heavy  considerations  of  duty  and  service.      He  was 
greatly  useful  in  talking  with  other  men  on  these  topics 
after  his  own  decision  was  clear,  and  though  I  don't  know 


74  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

the  men  by  name,  many  of  them  will  remember  those 
hours  in  the  fall  of  freshman  year  that  were  spent  in  this 
field  of  strong  battles  between  self  and  the  other  man  who 
needed  our  help*" 

To  Lawrence  the  decision  to  volunteer  meant  the  ab- 
solute surrender  of  his  life  to  God.  From  that  time  on 
he  became  in  a  certain  sense  a  speciaHst  in  missions  and 
his  life  had  but  one  consuming  purpose.  Yet  the  prac- 
tical side  of  his  nature  asserted  itself  here  as  it  did  ever  in 
his  life.  He  did  not  wait  for  the  years  to  go  by  until  he 
should  actually  stand  on  a  foreign  shore  before  he  began 
his  work.  Extracts  from  his  later  letters  of  freshman  year 
show  the  interest  with  which  he  now  applied  himself  to 
every  opportunity  for  service  which  presented  itself  and 
the  conscientiousness  with  which  he  considered  the 
smallest  questions  of  personal  living. 

*'  March  ^j,  i8g^, 
"  You  may  see  how  busy  my  Sundays  are  by  the  fact 
that  it  is  7:30  and  this  is  the  first  chance  I  have  had  to 
finish  this  letter.  But  I  wouldn't  give  up  this  intense  life 
for  anything.  I  am  supremely  happy  only  when  I  am  at 
work  on  development  along  some  line  of  my  practical 
Christian  life.  Give  me  the  life  which  some  men  live  here 
in  college  and  I  should  be  ready  to  leave." 

"  March  j/,  iSg^, 

"  I  may  have  told  you  that  W ,  the  poor  fellow  I 

am  trying  to  help  at  the  Mission  promised  me  a  week 
ago  last  Friday  evening  that  he  would  stop  drinking  and 
begin  to  read  the  Bible.     I  confess  I  trembled  a  little  bit 


Four  Years  at  Yale  75 

when  I  asked  Tuesday  night  how  he  had  succeeded.  But 
he  told  me  that  he  hadn't  touched  a  drop  since  then.  He 
had  also  read  the  first  six  chapters  of  Mark.  Nor  is  he 
doing  it  in  his  own  strength.  I  really  think  he  is  quite  a 
hopeful  case  and  there  seems  to  be  good  reason  to  be- 
lieve he  will  hold  out." 


"  April  28,  i8gj. 
"  To-day  is  as  full  as  usual.  I  have  just  returned  from 
teaching  that  class  of  boys  at  Bethany,  who  seemed  to  be 
verily  possessed.  It's  a  terrible  strain  on  a  man.  I  must 
be  receiving  my  just  retribution  for  my  performances 
when  a  small  boy  in  Sunday-school." 

"  May  s,  189s ' 

"  What  a  great  inspiration  college  is  !     One  comes  in 

contact  with  so  much  and  so  varied  humanity.     First,  a 

devoted,  whole-souled  Christian,  then  a  lukewarm  one, 

then  a  man  who  needs  the  love  of  Christ  in  his  heart.     I 

have  just  been  talking  with  B ,  one  of  the  strongest 

Christians  in  the  class.  It  was  a  perfect  inspiration. 
Perhaps  after  supper  I  shall  come  in  touch  with  his 
opposite.  .  .  .  To-day  has  been  as  delightful  as 
usual.  This  afternoon  I  led  the  volunteer  meeting  of 
freshmen  and  brought  home  the  principle  of  sacrifice 
both  as  applying  to  ourselves  and  to  the  Christian 
Church.  When  twenty-four  well  prepared  young  men 
and  women  have  recently  been  rejected  by  the  Presby- 
terian board  simply  from  lack  of  money  it  seems  a 
mockery  to  ask  for  more  men.  What  we  want  is  more 
men  and  money  with  emphasis  on  the  money.  We  will 
never,  I  believe,  have  enough  money  till  the  Church  be- 


76  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

gins  to  grasp  the  true  meaning  of  total  surrender  and 
sacrifice  to  God." 

"  May  18  y  18^5. 

"...  Tuesday  evening  Paul  and  I  went  to  the 
Joint  Play.  .  .  .  As  I  have  sworn  off  on  the  theatre, 
on  principles  which  I  shall  explain  later,  I  enjoyed  it  very 
much,  perhaps  more  so  than  a  regular  theatregoer.  The 
whole  thing  was  amateur.  Even  the  play,  Mr.  Bonaparte, 
was  written  by  college  men.  It  was  a  take-off  on 
Napoleon  and  though  it  had  nothing  to  do  with  Yale  was 
a  clever  production. 

*'  The  reason  that  I  have  given  up  the  theatre  is  simply 
because  of  the  life  of  the  actors.  Not  that  there  are  not 
notable  exceptions  to  the  general  rule.  But  it  is  an  in- 
disputable fact  that  the  lives  of  most  actors  are  far  from 
what  they  should  be.  Still  more  indisputably,  the  life 
behind  the  scenes  is  totally  unfavourable  to  the  devel- 
opment of  a  spiritual  nature.  Granting  then  that 
the  theatre  is  not  conducive  to  the  development  of  a 
spiritual  nature  nor  even  a  moral  nature  among  the 
actors,  I  cannot  as  a  Christian  man  support  the  institu- 
tion by  my  presence.  I  claim  that  there  is  no  need  of 
having  any  other  grounds  to  stand  on.  These  are  strong 
enough  and  I  cannot  see  how  they  can  be  refuted.  The 
claim  that  the  effect  on  the  spectators  is  bad,  is  debatable. 
The  effect  varies  with  the  individual,  there  being  extremes 
of  both  natures.  I  have  stated  my  views  to  several  men, 
as  the  necessity  presented  itself,  and  have  never  been 
even  answered.  Some  I  am  afraid  are  self-convicted  but 
are  not  willing  to  give  it  up.  I  might  add  that  most  of 
these  men  are  of  argumentative  natures  and  would  be 
likely  to  answer  if  possible. 


Four  Years  at  Yale  77 

"  The  reason  that  I  went  to  the  Joint  Play  was  that  my 
objections  did  not  apply  to  amateur  acting.     .     .     ." 

''  Dear  Papa  and  Mamma  : 

"  The  main  reason  for  my  not  writing  in  the 
middle  of  the  week  was  because  I  didn't  know  what  to 
say  about  my  having  a  bicycle.  In  fact  I  don't  know 
now,  but  I  will  try  to  tell  you  how  far  I  have  got.  Of 
course  the  question  is  simply,  shall  I  have  a  bicycle  or 
give  the  same  money  to  missions  ?  supposing  that  you 
would  be  willing  for  me  to  do  this.  If  I  felt  sure  that 
it  would  really  improve  my  health  and  make  me  better 
able  to  serve  God  I  should  be  willing  to  have  the  bicycle. 
Not  of  course,  that  I  don't  really  wish  it  very  much  but 
I  try  to  suppress  those  feelings ;  for  I  can't  judge  if  I  let 
feelings  which  are  simply  selfish  come  up.  I  reahze  that 
if  I  didn't  have  one  Belle  would  be  disappointed,  and  it 
would  look  a  little  peculiar  to  the  townspeople,  but 
those  must  be  minor  considerations.  With  the  fearful 
need  in  the  field  I  simply  tremble  to  think  of  the  wrong 
investment  of  any  money  and  especially  of  so  much 
money.  In  regard  to  health,  the  only  possible  advan- 
tage of  a  bicycle  over  simply  walking  are  greater  ex- 
hilaration, more  all  round  exercise,  and  greater  variety 
in  scenery.  I  am  perfectly  ready  to  do  which  is  best. 
But  I  am  very  much  afraid  of  selfishness  on  the  one 
hand  and  fear  of  appearing  inconsistent  on  the  other. 
But  I  know  that  apparent  inconsistency  would  affect  only 
the  thoughtless,  whereas  failure  to  keep  my  health  would 
affect  both  the  thoughtless  and  the  thoughtful.  I  want 
your  advice  on  the  subject  very  much. 

"  I  haven't  written  this   in  the  regular  letter  because 
there  is  no  need  of  the  family  knowing  all  about  it. 


yS  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

"  Of  course  I  thank  you  very  much,  more  than  I  can 
tell,  for  the  offer,  and  I  only  pray  that  I  may  be  guided 
to  do  all  for  the  glory  of  God. 

"  With  a  great  deal  of  love, 

"  Lawrence." 

It  remains  to  be  said  that  his  final  decision  was  to 
purchase  the  bicycle ;  his  subsequent  arrest  soon  after 
that  of  one  of  the  most  dignified  members  of  the  Yale 
faculty,  for  failure  to  observe  a  minor  city  bicycle  ordi- 
nance, causing  infinite  amusement  among  his  friends  and 
exposing  him  to  no  end  of  good-natured  bantering. 

Lawrence  had  not  been  on  the  Freshman  Religious 
Committee  during  freshman  year,  nor  was  he  elected  a 
class  deacon.  But  with  the  beginning  of  sophomore 
year  his  faithful  work  began  to  attract  attention.  He 
was  placed  on  the  Foreign  Missionary  and  Boys'  Club 
Committees  of  the  Christian  Association  and  led  a  mis- 
sion study  class  on  the  Bible  and  missions.  Although 
at  first  he  was  not  the  leader  of  the  Band  of  Volunteers, 
his  influence  there  was  always  as  strong  as  that  of  any 
man  in  the  group.  He  was  not  the  most  popular.  He 
was  probably  not  the  man  who  accomplished  most  in 
college  for  the  causes  that  were  there  discussed.  But 
spiritually  he  was  one  of  the  strongest,  and  his  unusually 
level  judgment  for  outlining  a  policy  or  plan  of  work 
and  his  faithful  performance  of  every  duty  that  was  laid 
upon  him,  quickly  led  others  to  put  great  trust  in  his 
ability  to  accomplish  things.  During  sophomore  year 
he  began  his  missionary  deputation  work  for  the  college. 
He  spoke  four  times  that  year,  at  New  Britain,  Torring- 
ton.  Deep  River  and  Seymour.  A  little  book  started  at 
this  time  and  kept  by  him  for  several  years,  gives  a  com- 


Four  Years  at  Yale  79 

plete  statement  of  each  meeting  he  addressed  with  the 
numbers  present  on  each  occasion,  and  suggestions  re- 
garding the  best  means  of  approach  when  missions  were 
presented  at  these  places  in  the  future. 

It  was  characteristic  of  Lawrence  that  he  should  crave 
for  his  friends  in  the  home  town  the  spiritual  advantages 
which  he  was  enjoying  to  such  a  remarkable  degree  at 
Yale.  Early  in  January,  1896,  there  was  special  religious 
interest  in  the  college  as  an  indirect  result  of  an  evangel- 
istic campaign  by  Rev.  B.  Fay  Mills  in  the  city.  Both 
Mr.  Mills  and  Dr.  Alexander  McKenzie  spoke  to  large 
bodies  of  students  at  Dwight  Hall  and  these  addresses 
were  supplemented  by  the  visits  of  Luce  or  Eddy  of  the 
Student  Volunteer  Mission.  Through  the  cooperation 
of  these  men  Messrs.  Stout  and  McNair  were  secured  to 
speak  in  Whitinsville.  Lawrence  himself  came  home 
from  college  and  the  meetings  made  a  decided  impression 
on  many  of  the  young  people. 

During  the  first  two  years  at  Yale  Lawrence  had 
deliberately  chosen  to  narrow  his  circle  of  acquaintances 
for  the  largest  efficiency  in  his  chosen  sphere  of  work. 
It  was  inevitable  that  he  should  be  regarded  in  the  last 
two  years  as  one  of  the  missionary  leaders  of  the  class.  In 
junior  and  senior  years  he  served  on  the  Foreign  Mis- 
sions Committee  of  the  Christian  Association  acting  as 
chairman  in  his  senior  year.  During  the  last  year  he 
was  also  leader  of  the  Student  Volunteer  Band.  He 
spoke  frequently  in  the  churches  of  New  Haven  and 
vicinity,  and  on  him  in  his  last  year  devolved  the 
organization  of  the  Yale  delegation  of  twenty-seven  for 
the  Volunteer  Convention  at  Cleveland.  His  reports  in 
the  Christian  Association  Record  of  senior  year,  as 
chairman  of  the  Foreign   Missions   Committee  of  the 


8o  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

association,  and  as  leader  of  the  Cleveland  delegation 
are  both  noteworthy  for  their  thorough  grasp  of  the 
principles  of  organization  and  their  breadth  of  view  in 
the  conception  of  the  scope  and  aim  of  missions. 

But  although  the  sphere  of  his  activities  were  thus 
somewhat  limited,  his  Hfe  was  exerting  a  powerful  influ- 
ence among  the  Christian  men  with  whom  he  came  in 
contact. 

"  His  greatest  influence  was  not  among  the  careless 
men  of  the  class,  at  the  fence  or  loafing  in  their  rooms," 
writes  a  close  friend,  "  but  among  the  group  of  men  who 
were  most  in  earnest  in  the  serious  things  of  life.  In  that 
missionary  room  at  D  wight  Hall  he  was  loved  and  respected 
and  given  a  place  of  leadership  more  than  in  any  other 
group  in  the  class.  We  recognized  the  reasons  that 
made  it  impossible  for  him  to  be  popular  with  all,  and  we 
respected  him  the  more  for  his  zeal. 

"  As  I  write,  the  familiar  scene  in  that  little  room  each 
Sunday  at  five,  comes  before  me  in  great  distinctness. 
The  sun  is  setting  through  the  trees  to  the  west,  there  is 
a  faint  sound  of  hurrying  feet  or  of  animated  conversa- 
tion, the  tones  of  the  organ  in  the  adjacent  hall  are  form- 
ing a  mellow  background  to  the  words  of  prayer  that  are 
ascending  as  the  dozen  men  who  form  the  group  are  upon 
their  knees  about  the  table.  One  after  another  leads  our 
thoughts  for  the  fields  abroad  or  the  needs  of  the  college 
or  the  deputation  work  in  the  surrounding  towns.  At 
the  close  of  the  hour  we  unite  in  a  verse  or  two  of  some 

familiar  hymn  often  started  by  B with  his  rich  and 

sympathetic  voice,  and  so  another  week  has  begun  filled 
with  problems  and  opportunities.  And  always  as  that 
memory  is  stirred  I  can  hear  Laurie's  voice,  low  and  in- 


Four  Years  at  Yale  8i 

tense,  as  he  pleads  for  the  needs  of  the  world  and  for  a 
fuller  realization  on  our  part  of  the  tremendous  responsi- 
bility that  is  ours.  His  prayers  had  an  element  of  terri- 
ble intensity  that  woke  every  one  of  us  to  a  conception 
of  his  earnestness.  His  words  at  times  came  with  hesi- 
tancy and  were  never  chosen  with  regard  to  literary 
beauty  or  finish,  but  his  jaw  would  be  set  and  his  voice 
thrill  the  room  with  feeling,  as  each  sentence  went  to  the 
mark  to  hit  something  and  to  hit  it  hard. 

"  Many  times  we  were  together  in  some  missionary 
campaign  in  the  near  cities  and  while  he  was  not  a 
speaker  of  great  fluency  or  polish,  yet  the  spirit  of  the 
man  had  a  power  to  get  results  that  was  a  real  stimulus 
to  me.  He  was  never  caught  unprepared  or  out  of  tune 
with  the  work  he  was  undertaking,  because  the  deep  per- 
sistency of  the  man's  character  showed  itself  in  the 
seriousness  with  which  he  entered  upon  such  a  work.  It 
had  been  prayed  over  and  planned  through  long  before 
the  time  came  for  the  journey  so  that  to  the  full  extent 
of  his  ability  he  '  finished  the  work '  in  each  instance. 

"  In  our  senior  year  Laurie  was  the  leader  of  the  Band 
and  did  a  larger  share  of  its  planning  than  ever.  It  was 
the  natural  year  for  the  other  interests  of  college  life  to 
sweep  away  the  religious  zeal  that  might  have  been  ours 
earUer  in  the  course.  But  his  faithfulness  and  determina- 
tion held  many  of  us  more  firm  than  would  have  been 
possible  if  left  to  our  own  tendencies." 

But  Yale  life  is  so  ordered  that  it  is  scarcely  possible 
for  the  influence  of  a  man  of  power  to  be  confined  to  any 
one  group  of  men.  The  frequent  change  of  scholarship 
divisions  with  daily  oral  recitations  in  the  earlier  years 
where  men  come  to  know  and  understand  one  another 


82  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

very  well  even  without  a  formal  introduction  ;  the  morn- 
ing chapel  bringing  the  whole  college  together  under 
one  roof  each  day ;  the  class  prayer-meetings  with  their 
interchange  of  views  and  above  all  the  Yale  delegation 
at  Northfield  make  it  probable  that  by  the  end  of  sopho- 
more year  a  man  will  have  some  definite  impression  of 
nearly  every  other  man  in  his  class.  And  when  this 
slow  process  of  mutual  introduction  had  worked  itself 
out  in  the  class  of  '98  we  came  to  know  Lawrence  and  to 
love  him. 

It  must  not  be  inferred,  because  of  the  intensity  of 
his  great  hfe  purpose  and  its  constant  demands  upon  his 
time,  that  Lawrence  was  in  any  sense  of  the  word  a 
recluse.  He  was  one  of  the  happiest,  sunniest,  most 
normal  men  of  the  class.  He  loved  his  college  as  few 
men  have  loved  her.  Every  worthy  phase  of  her  mani- 
fold life  gained  his  sympathetic  attention.  He  was  quick 
to  grasp  the  humorous  side  of  a  situation  and  this  made 
him  a  most  agreeable  companion.  He  entered  with  en- 
thusiasm into  the  special  prerogatives  and  privileges  of 
each  succeeding  year  from  freshman  year  on.  If  he  did 
not  linger  as  long  at  the  fence  as  some  it  was  not  because 
he  did  not  love  to  do  so,  and  the  few  moments  that  he 
did  tarry  there  meant  more  to  him  as  he  passed  on  to  his 
many  duties  than  did  hours  of  such  privilege  to  the 
majority  of  men. 

As  an  upper-class  man  his  acknowledged  position  of 
leadership  in  missions  gave  him  a  confidence  in  himself 
which  had  before  been  lacking.  He  had  felt  in  the  early 
years  that  he  had  but  little  to  offer  and  that  men  would 
not  care  to  know  him,  but  the  cordial  reception  of  his 
modest  advances  among  some  of  the  class  leaders  inspired 
and  pleased  him.     And  gradually  he  widened  the  circle 


Four  Years  at  Yale  I  3 

of  those  whom  he  invited  each  vacation  to  share  the 
pleasures  of  camping  in  his  home  town, — surprised  and 
yet  unselfishly  gratified  to  find  that  his  Httle  circle  could 
give  even  to  some  whom  he  had  known  less  intimately 
what  they  could  not  obtain  elsewhere,  and  that  they 
looked  to  him  for  impetus  to  action  and  achievement. 

Some  of  his  classmates  have  left  on  record  their  im- 
pressions of  those  days.  "  He  was  the  most  consistent 
Christian  in  '98,"  one  writes.  "  Perhaps  he  was  narrow," 
says  another,  "  but  he  was  very  lovable  in  his  narrow- 
ness." "  He  combined  to  an  unusual  degree,"  is  the 
word  of  another,  "  the  art  of '  having  a  good  time '  with 
the  science  of  *  being  good.'  He  was  always  merry,  yet 
he  never  had  to  call  for  pipe,  bowl  or  fiddlers  to  make 
him  so.  Although  he  had  a  sterner  code  of  ethics  than 
his  classmates,  none  of  them  ever  enjoyed  life  more  thor- 
oughly than  he  did.  Willing  to  spend  four  hours  over 
freshman  Greek  when  necessary,  he  was  just  as  willing 
to  spend  long  hours  preparing  for  our  *  freshman  fun '  at 
the  Glee  Club  *  Prom. '  Concert.  I  never  knew  any  one 
more  truly  reverent,  yet  his  piety  was  never  marred  by  any 
undue  solemnity.  With  an  ability  to  be  tremendously 
earnest  there  went  at  the  same  time  a  keen  sense  of  hu- 
mour, which  kept  him  out  of  the  pitfall  of  taking  himself 
too  seriously.  He  always  seemed  to  appreciate  the  other 
man's  point  of  view.  ...  It  was  this  unique  combi- 
nation of  qualities  that  made  him  so  lovable,  that  made 
him  for  me  the  true  Christian,  full  of  faith  and  full  of 
fun,  always  fired  with  religious  devotion,  yet  never  with- 
out that  sweet  reasonableness  which  was  his  peculiar 
charm." 

"  How  well  I  remember  the  first  physics  recitation," 
writes  a  fourth.     "  The  book  said  '  Strike  a  match  and 


84  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

observe  the  effect.'  The  rest  of  us  passed  over  that  part 
of  the  lesson  as  obvious  and  unnecessary,  but  Lawrence 
faithfully  performed  the  experiment  and  recorded  the 
results.  I  have  never  forgotten  the  instance."  Another 
writes : 

"  In  thinking  of  Laurie  in  those  college  days  one  char- 
acteristic stands  out  above  the  rest.  It  might  be  expressed 
in  various  ways,  but  I  will  use  the  term  Consecration. 
He  had  decided,  and  used  often  to  frankly  express  it, 
that  he  was  not  built  for  popularity  among  the  idlers  of 
the  class  or  even  the  merely  *  good  fellow '  of  the  college 
type.  He  felt  himself  justified  in  centering  most  of  his 
interest  in  those  lines  that  needed  him  most.  Yet  he 
never  took  the  position  that  things  were  useless  merely 
because  he  found  no  time  for  them.  Often  he  has 
spoken  of  his  great  desire  that  these  things  might  have 
had  a  place  in  his  hfe  since  they  added  pleasure  and  a 
great  means  of  approach  to  the  hearts  of  men,  but,  since 
he  had  to  choose,  he  chose  the  things  that  were  the  most 
vital. 

"  I  suppose  he  was  the  most  faithful  man  in  our  class 
in  the  matter  of  getting  his  daily  Bible  study  and  his 
quiet  times  of  thought  and  prayer.  Many  is  the  time 
that  I  have  felt  a  deep  rebuke  in  finding  him  quietly 
working  away  at  the  thing  that  was  for  him  his  first 
duty,  when  the  burden  of  it  had  softly  and  easily  slid 
from  my  own  shoulders.  His  reliability  and  faithfulness 
came  from  just  this  source.  He  had  chosen  the  lines  for 
his  activity,  and  if  he  gave  himself  to  any  pursuit  he 
would  carry  it  out  regardless  of  its  cost.  He  went  at  his 
exercise  in  this  same  spirit  of  dogged  determination. 
His  lessons  did  not  come  easily  to  him,  yet  he  stood  well 


Four  Years  at  Yale  85 

because  of  the  amount  of  time  he  was  willing  to  devote 
to  them,  and  what  he  learned  he  had  small  need  of  re- 
viewing, for  it  was  never  crammed  or  half  digested,  but 
was  stowed  away  in  his  mind  for  practical  use. 

"  Times  without  number  we  have  discussed  the  ques- 
tions that  come  before  college  men  for  decision,  and  I 
always  used  to  insist  with  him  that  he  drew  lines  of  duty 
and  principle  too  fine. 

"  He  had  never  smoked  in  college.  He  could  see  the 
good  in  a  man  who  did,  and  never  was  willing  to  con- 
demn a  man  harshly  because  he  chose  to  be  broader  than 
Laurie  thought  right ;  but  for  himself  and  his  own  life 
smoking  was  wrong.  Once  having  decided  it  there  was 
no  moving  him.  I  remember  one  instance  in  particular. 
It  came  to  the  time  of  the  class  histories  on  the  campus 
at  the  close  of  his  college  course  and  the  class  pipe  went 
the  rounds,  but  despite  the  pleadings  of  the  committee 
he  was  unwilling  to  break  what  was  to  him  a  vital  prin- 
ciple, even  on  such  a  justifiable  occasion.  He  spoke 
about  it  afterwards  with  great  regret,  wishing  that  he 
might  have  avoided  so  open  a  break  with  the  men  who 
had  urged  it  upon  him ;  but  he  was  sure  in  his  own  mind 
that  he  ought  not  to  yield,  and  that  settled  the  question 
for  all  time.  He  was  narrow  in  the  popular,  careless 
sense  of  the  word,  and  was  so  considered  by  many  men 
in  the  class  and  even  by  his  friends.  But  it  seems  to  me 
as  those  incidents  sweep  before  the  memory  that  it  was 
the  narrowness  of  concentration  and  not  of  ignorance  or 
of  bigotry.  His  life  had  a  fixed  amount  of  energy  to  be 
invested,  and  he  knew  he  must  not  spread  it  out  too  thin 
over  unessential  things.  He  used  to  bring  the  matter  up 
in  those  talks  in  the  winter  evenings  after  the  day's  work 
was  done  or  we  had  returned  from  some  meeting,  and 


86  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

always  his  breadth  of  view  was  in  contrast  to  the  concen- 
tration of  his  activity.  He  recognized  the  good  in  the 
time  spent  in  all  athletics,  or  at  the  fence  making  the 
friendships  that  were  to  last  for  life,  but  he  definitely  gave 
up  some  of  those  pleasantest  elements  of  college  life  for 
the  larger  gain  of  character  and  usefulness.  I  would  not 
commend  his  limitations  any  more  than  he  would  himself 
if  he  were  writing  this ;  but  I  do  praise  the  consecration 
and  courage  of  a  man  tTiat  could  clearly  follow  a  path 
that  he  had  marked  out  in  spite  of  criticism  or  of  the 
pleadings  of  his  friends.  Strength  was  the  cry  of  his 
ambition  and  not  popularity  or  attractiveness.  To  do,  as 
well  as  was  possible  for  him,  the  things  to  which  he  com- 
mitted his  effort  was  the  quest  of  those  years." 

In  every  class  at  Yale  there  are  men  who  for  various 
reasons  come  late  into  prominence  in  the  hfe  of  the  class. 
Their  ultimate  recognition  is  often  delayed  too  long  for 
adequate  class  or  social  honours.  But  the  prominence  of 
men  of  this  type  in  the  hearts  of  their  classmates  is  al- 
ways permanent  and  enduring,  for  it  is  invariably  based 
upon  a  matured  character.  They  have  stood  the  search- 
ing tests  of  the  four  years  and  the  impression  which  they 
leave  upon  their  associates  is  never  effaced.  They  rank 
among  the  most  loyal  graduates  of  the  college.  They 
have  met  the  tests  of  the  Yale  ideal,  and  embodied  its 
principles  in  their  lives.  To  them  their  classmates  go  for 
help  and  suggestion,  and  their  reward  is  this,  that  their 
classmates  never  question  whether  such  men  have  been 
successful  at  Yale. 

It  was  to  such  a  reward  that  Lawrence  Thurston  came 
in  the  closing  year  at  Yale.  Many  men  told  him  person- 
ally what  his  life  had  meant  to  them. 


Four  Years  at  Yale  87 

"  It  is  five  years  since  we  first  met  at  Yale,"  one  wrote. 
.  .  .  "  Your  friendship  was  a  tremendous  inspiration  to 
me  and  had  it  not  been  for  the  steady  hands  that  held  me 
until  my  missionary  foundation  was  laid,  it  is  hard  to  tell 
where  I  would  have  landed." 

*'  I  wish  I  had  more  to  offer,"  says  another,  "  for  I 
foresee  that  there  will  come  times  in  the  next  twenty 
years,  if  that  may  be  granted  to  us,  when  I  would  give 
almost  anything  in  my  power  for  your  counsel,  sympathy 
and  advic^." 

*•  It  certainly  has  been  a  great  privilege  for  me  to  have 
known  you  and  to  have  had  you  as  a  friend,"  was  the 
message  of  his  roommate.  "  Oftentimes  when  I  look 
(back)  upon  experiences  I  can  see  them  as  special  bless- 
ings come  straight  from  God.  Among  these  I  put  my 
living  at  260  Lawrance  Hall  with  L.  Thurston.  .  .  . 
You  have  helped  me  in  many  ways." 

The  year  of  the  Yale  Band  campaign  brought  to  him 
a  revelation  of  the  appreciation  which  Yale  graduates  and 
Yale  families  had  for  his  faithful  efforts,  of  which  he  had 
never  dreamed.  And  later  when  the  question  of  financial 
support  for  the  Yale  China  Mission  was  agitated  among 
his  class,  one  of  them  wrote  : 

"  As  to  backing  you  up  in  the  China  Mission.  I  am 
very  glad  that  I  can  be  one  of  the  group  to  have  the 
privilege.  Foreign  missions  becomes  almost  home  mis- 
sions when  a  dear  personal  friend  goes  out." 

Yes,  Thomas  Hughes  was  right.  It  is  such  lives  as 
these  that  are  truly  successful. 


88  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

One  night  towards  the  close  of  senior  year  two  mem- 
bers of  '98  sat  in  the  privacy  of  a  college  room  talking 
in  the  gathering  twilight  about  their  plans  for  the  years 
to  come.  Both  were  men  who  had  been  prominent  in 
the  social  life  of  the  college.  One  was  a  professed  fol- 
lower of  Christ ;  the  other  was  not  and  much  of  his  Hfe 
at  college  had  been  wild.  The  swift  approach  of  the  hour 
of  separation  from  one  another  had  broken  down  the 
customary  reserve  between  college  men,  and  the  Chris- 
tian leader  was  pleading  at  the  eleventh  hour  with  his  fel- 
low to  start  the  Christian  life.  In  his  eagerness  to  win 
his  friend  he  made  the  requirements  very  easy,  w^ith 
scarcely  any  renunciation  of  the  old  life.  His  comrade  sat 
in  silence  for  a  few  moments  and  then  with  a  peculiar  ex- 
pression on  his  face  he  turned  and  said,  "  When  I  do  be- 
come a  Christian,  I  don't  want  to  be  that  kind.  If  I  ever 
do  swing  over,  I  want  to  be  the  kind  of  a  Christian 
Laurie  Thurston  is." 


IV 

The  Yale  Missionary  Band 


"  And  as  ye  go,  preach,  saying,  The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  at  hand 
.  .  .  freely  ye  received,  freely  give.  Get  you  no  gold,  nor  silver,  nor 
brass  in  your  purses;  no  wallet  for  your  journey  ...  for  the 
labourer  is  worthy  of  his  food.  ...  Be  not  anxious  how  or  what  ye 
shall  speak ;  for  it  shall  be  given  you  in  that  hour  what  ye  shall  speak. 
For  it  is  not  ye  that  speak  but  the  Spirit  of  your  Father  that  speaketh  in 
you." 


IV 
THE  YALE  MISSIONARY  BAND 

THERE  is  a  deal  of  truth  in  the  current  phrase 
which  characterizes  the  Ufe  centering  about  a 
college  or  university  as  the  student  world.  A 
college  community  is,  in  a  very  true  sense,  a  miniature 
world,  organically  a  part  of  the  greater  universe  of  thought 
and  action  which  moves  round  about  it,  yet  none  the 
less  strangely  isolated  from  these  same  surroundings. 
Within  the  brief  four  years  of  a  student  generation  men 
live  their  college  lives  for  good  or  evil  and  then  make 
their  exit  from  the  stage  never  again  to  play  a  part  in 
that  same  drama.  When  the  curtain  rises  once  more, 
other  actors  are  upon  the  scenes.  Those  who  were  there 
before  have  passed  on  into  a  new  and  larger  world. 

And  as  upon  life  itself  there  break  at  times  visions  of 
greater  service  and  usefulness  in  some  new  world  of  in- 
finite opportunity,  the  extent  and  full  meaning  of  which 
the  best  of  men  scarcely  comprehend,  so  to  men  in  their 
college  days  come  visions  of  service  in  the  world  outside, 
visions  large,  at  times  well-nigh  overpowering,  visions  be- 
fore which  many  ponder  long  in  doubt,  incredulous  of  the 
strength  which  God  supplieth.  And  often  in  the  ponder- 
ing the  vision  fades  away  and  is  gone.  But  sometimes 
the  enthusiasm  and  faith  of  youth  lays  hold  with  a  stout 
heart  and  a  firm  hand,  and  the  vision  becomes  a  reality, 
imprinted  in  clear  outline  upon  the  history  of  the  day  and 
generation. 

91 


g2  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

The  story  of  the  Yale  Missionary  Band  is  the  story  of 
such  a  vision  which  men  saw  in  the  closing  days  of  their 
college  course  and  to  which  they  were  not  disobedient. 
The  steps  which  led  to  the  undertaking  of  this  important 
campaign  in  the  interests  of  missionary  education,  and 
the  part  which  Lawrence  Thurston  played  in  it,  have 
been  sketched  by  one  who  was  himself  engaged 
in  it. 

"  During  the  meetings  of  the  Volunteer  Band  in  our 
senior  year  at  Yale,  we  had  often  expressed  the  con- 
viction that  the  comparatively  large  number  of  volunteers 
in  Ninety-eight  ought  to  leave  a  deeper  impression  on  the 
religious  life  of  the  college  than  had  been  the  case  of  any 
class  since  Ninety-two,  when  Pitkin  was  leader.  It  was  a 
matter  of  regret  and  prayerful  thought  that  no  greater 
missionary  interest  had  been  stirred  in  the  lower  classes, 
and  we  constantly  faced  the  thought  that  before  many 
months  we  would  have  left  the  university  and  no  results 
of  our  work  would  be  in  evidence.  In  discussing  this 
state  of  affairs  one  afternoon  in  the  regular  meeting  two 
suggestions  were  made.  The  first  was  that  a  public 
statement  by  members  of  the  Band  to  our  class  and  col- 
lege mates  of  the  reasons  why  we  had  decided  upon  mis- 
sions as  our  life-work  might  prove  of  help  in  arousing 
stronger  interest.  This  afterwards  was  carried  out  with 
the  cooperation  of  the  officers  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  in  one 
of  the  general  religious  meetings  of  the  university  in 
Dwight  Hall  at  which  Laurie  and  three  others  spoke  with 
great  earnestness  and  feeling.  The  other  suggestion 
that  was  to  bring  far  greater  results  was  the  discussion 
of  the  possibility  of  a  number  of  the  group  taking  the 
missionary  message,  from  the  standpoint  of  a  young  man, 


The  Yale  Missionary  Band  93 

through  the  cities  of  the  East  and  seeking  thus  to  arouse 
a  deeper  interest  or  at  least  a  more  intelligent  knowledge 
of  the  cause  and  claims  of  foreign  missions,  among  the 
young  people  of  the  churches.  No  sooner  was  the  idea 
presented  than  we  gave  it  most  serious  consideration. 
It  seemed  clear  that  four  years  of  thought  and  reading 
and  experience  in  speaking  on  these  topics  ought  to  have 
prepared  members  of  the  Band  to  present  the  claims  of 
this  work  with  more  than  average  force,  and  that  such  a 
presentation  was  greatly  needed.  Into  this  plan  as  a 
possibiHty  Laurie  threw  himself  from  the  very  first  with 
enthusiasm.  He  saw  its  possibilities  more  clearly  I  think 
than  did  any  other  member  of  the  group.  I  myself  was 
most  dubious  of  the  project  and  far  from  sanguine  of  its 
results  and  have  always  confessed  that  my  interest  in  the 
plan  was  due  largely  to  the  grim  and  determined  way  in 
which  he  began  to  investigate  its  feasibility.  Advice  was 
taken  from  many  of  the  leaders  of  the  missionary  move- 
ments in  Boston  and  New  York.  One  afternoon  we  had 
a  long  conference  with  Mr.  Robert  E.  Speer  in  regard  to 
it  and  at  that  time  Laurie  presented  the  plan  in  its  first 
complete  statement  of  the  details  of  method  and  purpose 
that  lay  in  his  mind.  Mr.  Mott  had  also  been  consulted 
and  long  letters  had  passed  between  Laurie  and  his  father 
who  was  closely  in  touch  with  conditions  prevailing  in 
the  country  and  the  churches. 

"  Much  to  my  surprise  these  men  felt  that  there  were 
strong  possibilities  in  the  idea  and  Mr.  Thurston  espe- 
cially believed  that  such  a  campaign  would  bring  large 
results,  if  carried  through  with  enthusiasm.  A  half 
dozen  men  of  the  Band  were  considering  the  advisability 
of  putting  a  year  of  life  into  it,  but  there  was  as  yet  no 
center  or  head  to  the  project.     Spring  was  far  advanced 


g^  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

and  any  plans  must  be  rapidly  matured  if  the  thing  was 
to  be  a  success.  We  went  to  the  Northfield  Conference, 
hardly  knowing  whether  it  was  to  be  launched  or  not.  At 
the  conference  one  of  the  leading  spirits  of  the  move- 
ment decided  that  he  could  not  go  and  one  or  two  others 
found  difficulties  arising  and  it  looked  dark  ahead,  yet 
Laurie  steadily  persevered  in  his  hopes  that  it  would 
eventually  be  carried  through.  Vickrey  was  sure  that  he 
could  go  and  believed  in  the  success  of  the  plans,  and 
three  others  of  us  were  on  the  fence  while  Laurie  was  the 
real  center  of  the  movement. 

"  During  that  summer  all  the  difficulties  in  the  way  of 
such  a  campaign  seemed  to  heap  themselves  together  to 
discourage  it.  There  was  no  money  to  support  it,  and 
there  was  no  great  eagerness  for  it  on  the  part  of  the  men 
who  were  facing  the  cost  of  investing  an  entire  year  in 
such  an  untried  venture.  No  missionary  movement  had 
been  found  that  cared  to  be  responsible  for  it,  and  it 
seemed  as  though  it  were  to  fall  dead  from  lack  of  some 
one  to  lead  it.  In  my  own  mind  I  have  always  been  sure 
that  it  was  directly  due  to  the  persistent  faith  in  the  suc- 
cess of  the  plan  which  Laurie  Thurston  so  often  ex- 
pressed, that  it  was  finally  carried  out.  That  summer 
under  the  trees  in  the  yard  of  the  parsonage  in  the  little 
New  England  village  we  talked  by  the  hour  planning  the 
details  and  beginning  the  correspondence  that  at  last 
launched  the  movement.  His  judgment  was  invaluable 
and  his  spirit  of  courage  and  quiet  determination  was  al- 
ways in  evidence. 

"  If  the  work  of  the  Yale  Band  had  any  lasting  re- 
sult in  developing  missionary  interest  throughout  the 
country,  it  was  due  more  to  him  than  to  any  other 
person." 


The  Yale  Missionary  Band  95 

Early  in  the  fall  of  1898  a  circular  letter  was  prepared 
giving  a  general  statement  of  the  purposes  of  the  Band, 
as  follows ; 

The  purpose  of  the  work  is  : 

First:  To  assist  the  Young  People's  Societies,  particu- 
larly in  the  larger  cities,  in  awakening  and  maintaining 
a  stronger  missionary  interest,  and  thus  ultimately  diffus- 
ing the  interest  through  the  entire  Church. 

Second:  To  bring  strikingly  to  the  attention  of  the 
churches,  the  fact  that  competent  college  men  have 
offered  themselves  for  service  in  the  foreign  field,  but 
cannot  be  sent  for  lack  of  funds. 

The  plans  for  the  year  were  broad  and  far-reaching. 
The  itinerary  included  all  the  larger  cities  of  the  East 
and  middle  West.  In  general  the  Band  was  to  remain  a 
week  in  each  of  the  more  important  centers.  The  work 
was  to  be  thoroughly  undenominational  in  character  and 
the  Young  People's  Societies  of  all  Protestant  denomina- 
tions were  invited  to  cooperate.  As  a  matter  of  fact 
before  the  campaign  closed  the  Band  had  received  the 
hearty  support  of  the  Christian  Endeavour  Society,  the 
Baptist  Young  People's  Union,  the  Epworth  League,  the 
Brotherhood  of  St.  Andrew,  as  well  as  the  Young  Men's 
and  the  Young  Women's  Christian  Associations  and 
Pastors'  Unions.  Confidence  in  the  movement  was  in- 
spired at  the  start  by  its  representative  advisory  board, 
which  included  Mr.  John  R.  Mott,  secretary  of  the 
World's  Student  Federation,  and  secretaries  from  each 
of  the  leading  missionary  boards.  Special  emphasis  was 
also  laid  upon  the  fact  that  the  campaign  was  first  and 
foremost  one  of  education  and  not  of  appeal  for  fundSc 


96  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

If  the  audiences  were  aroused  to  larger  giving,  it  was 
requested  that  contributions  be  made  through  the  chan- 
nels of  the  regular  denominational  board.  The  only 
collections  taken  were  those  to  defray  local  expenses,  and 
even  these  were  often  omitted.  Thus  the  visit  of  the 
Band  was  without  expense  to  the  churches  and  societies 
visited  other  than  that  of  entertainment. 

The  preliminary  arrangements  in  each  city  visited  were 
in  the  hands  of  a  central  local  committee.  The  letter  of 
suggestions  in  connection  with  the  work  of  the  Yale 
Missionary  Band,  sent  some  time  beforehand  by  the  Band 
to  this  committee,  is  a  model  of  completeness  and  fore- 
sight. Equally  thorough  were  the  preparations  that  were 
laid  for  the  success  of  the  campaign  in  prayer.  At  the 
head  of  the  prayer  cycle  were  the  following  quotations : 

"  Let  us  advance  upon  our  Xanttsy  —Joseph  Neesima. 

"  If  men  of  our  generation  will  enter  the  holy  place  of 
prayer,  and  become  henceforth  men  whose  hearts  God 
has  touched  with  the  prayer  passion,  the  history  of  His 
Church  will  be  changed." — Robert  E.  Speer. 

"  Ye  that  are  the  Lord's  remembrancers,  take  no  rest, 
and  give  Him  no  rest,  till  He  establish,  and  till  He  make 
Jerusalem  a  praise  in  the  earth." — Isa.  62  :  6-J. 

The  objects  of  daily  prayer  were  : 

Sunday:  For  the  committee  on  arrangements,  that 
wisdom,  grace  and  strength  may  be  given  in  their  respon- 
sible work — that  they  may  be  "  wise  master  builders." 

Monday:  For  the  members  of  the  Yale  Band,  that 
they  may  come  with  hearts  overflowing  in  the  power 
and  with  the  guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

Tuesday :  That  the  pastors,  churches  and  Young  Peo- 


The  Yale  Missionary  Band  97 

pie's  Societies  of  the  entire  city  may  be  united  as  never 
before  in  one  common  aim. 

Wednesday  :  That  all  obstacles  and  hindrances  to  the 
success  of  this  visit  may  be  removed,  especially  those  of 
prejudice  and  indifference.  That  there  may  be  an  entire 
absence  of  selfishness,  jealousy,  unkind  criticism,  and 
everything  not  Christiike. 

Thursday:  That  there  may  be  awakened  a  spirit  of 
expectation  throughout  the  city.  That  the  hearts  of  the 
people  may  be  opened  to  receive  the  messages. 

Friday :  That  the  consciences  of  the  people  may  be 
aroused  and  their  hearts  made  aflame  with  missionary 
zeal.  That  the  people  may  be  led  {a)  to  study ;  (b)  to 
pray;  (c)  to  give;  (d^  and  some  to  go. 

Saturday  :  That  the  work  of  the  Band  may  abide,  and 
that  the  Young  People's  Societies  may  be  organized  for 
definite,  permanent,  progressive  mission  work. 

The  Band  included  five  men,  all  close  friends,  D.  Brewer 
Eddy,  C.  Brownell  Gage,  Charles  V.  Vickrey,  Arthur  B. 
Williams,  and  Lawrence.  The  five  men  represented  five 
widely  separated  states  of  the  Union — New  York,  Massa- 
chusetts, Pennsylvania,  Kansas,  and  Nebraska.  In  relig- 
ious affiliation,  two  were  Congregationalists,  two  Meth- 
odist, and  one  a  Presbyterian.  All  had  been  actively 
engaged  in  practical  religious  work  at  Yale  in  addition 
to  their  special  missionary  interests. 

A  feeling  of  some  anxiety  as  to  personal  fitness  for  so 
great  an  undertaking,  mingled,  however,  with  a  willing- 
ness to  go  forward  in  utter  dependence  upon  God, 
marked  the  beginning  of  the  enterprise.  After  a  five 
days'  consultation  in  New  York  City  with  representa- 
tives  of  the  different  missionary  boards  the  campaign 


98  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

was  started  at  Scranton,  Pa.,  during  the  first  week  in 
October  (1-6).  This  city  was  the  home  of  one  of  the 
members  of  the  Band  as  well  as  of  Harry  Luce,  Yale, 
1892,  classmate  and  intimate  friend  of  Horace  Pitkin, 
and  missionary  to  China,  and  had  a  well-earned  reputa- 
tion as  a  loyal  Yale  center  of  influence,  through  its  strong 
Alumni  Association.  Both  because  of  the  lack  of  expe- 
rience by  members  of  the  Band  themselves  and  of  a  lack 
of  preparation  for  the  visit  on  the  part  of  the  local 
committee  which  had  no  model  by  which  it  could  be 
guided,  only  a  few  of  the  societies  and  people  could  be 
reached.  A  stop  of  a  single  day  was  made  at  Wilkes- 
barre,  and  from  here  the  Band  passed  on  to  Washington. 
It  was  at  Washington  that  the  effective  work  really 
commenced,  a  detailed  report  of  which,  prepared  by 
members  of  the  Band,  follows : 

"  At  Washington  we  found  an  ideal  committee  who, 
three  days  before  our  arrival,  sent  us  word  that  there  was 
nothing  more  to  be  done  in  preparation  except  to  pray. 
The  campaign  was  so  arranged  that  every  one  of  the 
eighty  societies  could  be  touched — announcements  and 
complete  combination  invitation-programs  had  been 
distributed  widely.  The  work  was  opened  by  a  general 
rally  which  though  not  monstrous  in  size  was  important, 
because  composed  of  the  leaders  of  the  work.  A  most 
delightful  little  reception  had  been  arranged  before  the 
rally,  where  we  could  meet  and  confer  with  the  presi- 
dents of  societies  regarding  our  plans.  The  next  day — 
Sunday — was  a  very  busy  one.  A  quartette  composed 
of  Mr.  Eddy  and  three  men  from  Johns  Hopkins'  Medical 
School,  two  of  whom  were  old  Yale  friends  and  volun- 
teers, was  kept  busy  all  day.     They  opened  the  service 


The  Yale  Missionary  Band  99 

in  one  place,  and  then  left  it  in  the  hands  of  one  of  the 
Band  and  hurried  to  another.  The  remainder  of  the  time 
was  taken  up  by  meetings  in  the  different  sections  of  the 
city — four  each  night — at  which  we  endeavoured  to  bring 
out  as  strongly  as  possible  the  need  of  more  earnest  defi- 
nite prayer,  intelligent  interest,  and  greater  sacrifice  for 
the  Master's  cause.  Each  meeting  was  followed  by  a 
conference.  It  is  certainly  encouraging  to  note  how 
ready  the  majority  of  the  young  people  are  for  an  ad- 
vance step,  sometimes  as  many  as  two-thirds  of  the  entire 
audience  remaining  to  the  practical  conference.  One  of 
the  most  delightful  of  these  evening  services  at  Washing- 
ton was  one  in  which  fifteen  of  the  coloured  churches 
united.  The  week's  work  here  closed  with  a  consecra- 
tion meeting  of  those  most  interested,  where  we  have 
reason  to  believe  that  God  did  a  special  work  in  setting 
aside  some  for  the  carrying  on  of  the  missionary  activity 
in  that  city." 

After  leaving  Washington  the  itinerary  of  the  Band 
included  in  succession,  Baltimore,  Harrisburg,  Philadel- 
phia, Pittsburg  and  Allegheny,  and  Columbus.  From 
Columbus,  in  November,  came  a  formal  report  letter  of 
the  Band  to  their  friends  in  New  England  and  in  the 
cities  which  they  had  already  visited.  It  was  the  first  in 
a  series  of  letters  in  the  preparation  of  which  all  the  Band 
assisted. 

'*  To  the  Friends  of  the  Yale  Missionary  Band: 

"  In  response  to  the  repeated  requests  for  a  report 
of  our  work,  it  has  been  determined  to  send  out  each 
month  a  report  letter,  that  you  may  have  a  share  with  us 
in  carrying  a  message  to  the  cities  we  visit  and  that  our 


100  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

tour  may  serve  through  these  reports  to  unite  in  one 
spirit  a  volume  of  prayer  that  shall  go  up  from  us  all  for 
an  awakening  of  the  Church  and  of  our  young  people's 
societies. 

"  We  can  hardly  realize  that  the  suggestion  of  one  of 
our  Volunteer  Band  meetings  last  January  has  actually 
been  carried  out.  We  feel  that  it  is  due  to  the  advice 
and  cooperation  of  some  of  the  Christian  movements 
among  the  college  men,  and  especially  to  Mr.  Brockman, 
that  we  are  now  in  the  work.  We  cannot  doubt  our  call 
into  it  especially  when  we  see  how  every  part  of  it,  even 
the  financial  support,  has  been  directly  cared  for  by  the 
Lord.  Only  one  small  amount  towards  that  support 
came  as  the  result  of  solicitation,  and  every  effort  of  our 
own  to  get  money  for  our  expenses  has  proved  a  failure, — 
it  almost  seems  for  the  direct  purpose  of  teaching  us  our 
utter  dependence  upon  God." 

After  a  detailed  statement  of  the  methods  of  work  in 
each  of  the  cities,  where  over  two  hundred  meetings  had 
been  held  and  between  30,000  to  40,000  people  reached 
with  a  message  the  report  closed. 

"The  difficulties  of  the  work  have  been  to  secure 
thorough  and  wise  preparation  and  wide-spread  adver- 
tisement for  the  meetings,  and  to  obtain  in  the  short 
time  of  our  visit  to  these  large  centers  any  definite 
action  on  the  part  of  the  societies  represented  at  con- 
ferences. 

"  On  the  other  hand,  the  removal  of  difficulties  which 
appeared  to  block  our  purpose,  the  opening  of  cities  that 
seemed  closed,  the  raising  up  of  consecrated  men  and 
women   to  work  for   the   missionary  interests  of  those 


The  Yale  Missionary  Band  lol 

cities,  and  the  deepening  of  our  own  spiritual  lives  are 
but  a  few  of  the  signs  of  an  unseen  Power  that  has  never  left 
us  in  doubt  as  to  whose  work  this  is.     And  while  a  sense 
of  the  responsibilities  of  a  campaign  hke  this  has  grown 
upon  us,  we  have  been  more  and  more  humbled  to  see 
how  unessential  we  are  to  the  result,  and  how  small  a  share 
we  are  to  have  in  it.     It  must  be  confessed  that  at  the 
start,  occupied  with  the  details  of  new  labour,  our  desire 
was  largely  that  God  would  use  us  in  the  work  to  which 
He  had  called  us.     But  there  has  come  a  larger  vision  of 
the  kingdom,  and  a  larger  prayer  that  not  merely  the 
blessing  for  which  we  may  be  channels,  but  the  blessing 
in  which  greater  things  are  expected  than  one  man  or 
band  of  men  could  ever  have  attempted,  may  come  to 
His  Church  and  through  it  to  the  world.     As  we  have 
seen  how   few  societies   ever  imagined  they  had   any- 
thing more  to  do  than  to  appoint  a  missionary  com- 
mittee of  those  left  over  after  all  the  rest  were  appointed, 
if  indeed  they  did  as  much  as  that,  and  how  many  of  the 
remainder  are  perfectly  satisfied  if  a  quarter  of  their  mem- 
bers are  giving  two  cents  a  week  as  an  expression  of  their 
interest  in  the  work  for  which  Christ  died ;  and  as  we 
have  seen  in  the  isolated  examples  what  latent  power  lies 
in  these  same  societies  when  Christ  has  been  sanctified  as 
Lord,  we  burn  to  utter  the  message  of  the  need  and  possi- 
biHties  of  a  missionary  awakeningamongyoung  people.     If 
any  considerable  portion  of  the  six  or  seven  millions  of  these 
people  in  the  various  organizations  of  our  country  may 
get  such  an  experience  that  they  cannot  but  speak  the 
things  they  have  seen  and  heard,  and  feel  such  a  love  that 
they  must  express  it  in  real  sacrifice,  it  thrills  one  to  think 
what  it  means  to  the  Church,  to  the  world,  and  to  Christ. 
O !  fellow  Christians,  let  us  tithe  our  income,  scale  down 


102  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

our   expenses,  and   bring   a   gift   that  will   receive   the 
Master's  comment,  *  They  love  much.' 

"  The  message  that  comes  to  us  here  in  Columbus  in 
the  devotional  hours  we  spend  together  each  day  is  one 
that  we  cannot  keep  from  this  letter  as  it  goes  out.  We 
had  been  praying  for  others  and  the  Lord  turned  our 
thought  back  upon  ourselves  and  showed  us  why  the 
great  blessings  we  asked  had  not  come.  '  Be  ye  clean, 
ye  that  bear  the  vessels  of  the  Lord.'  After  a  confession 
of  what  He  revealed,  there  came  back  a  new  and  deeper 
longing  to  call  down  the  blessing  waiting  for  those  cold 
churches  and  dead  societies.  We  tremble  in  sending  out 
this  message  to  think  of  the  responsibility,  not  only  of 
ourselves  but  of  you  all,  for  whose  intercession  the  king- 
dom of  heaven  waits.     '  Even  so  come,  Lord  Jesus.'  " 

The  months  of  November  and  December  were  spent 
mainly  in  Ohio  and  Illinois,  the  regular  itinerary  includ- 
ing Cincinnati,  Dayton,  St.  Louis,  Springfield,  111., 
Cairo,  Galesburg,  Streator,  Peoria,  Rockford  and  Cedar 
Falls,  Iowa.  In  addition  to  these  regular  engagements 
meetings  were  also  held  at  Covington  and  Newport,  Ky., 
Streator,  111.,  and  at  ten  or  more  educational  institutions, 
including  Lane  Theological  Seminary,  the  Eclectic  Med- 
ical Institute,  Knox  College,  and  the  Iowa  State  Normal 
School.  Early  in  December,  before  the  five  separated 
for  the  holidays,  they  sent  the  following  Christmas  mes- 
sage to  the  men  at  Yale : 

"  To  the  Christian  Men  at  Yale  : 

"  Dear  Fellows — Just  now  when  we  are  thinking 
of  the  fun  which  is  to  be  packed  into  the  next  few  weeks 
of  vacation,  and  are  planning  for  good  times  perhaps 


The  Yale  Missionary  Band  103 

even  farther  ahead,  there  comes  a  thought  which  we  feel 
many  of  you  will  welcome. 

"  We  well  know  that  in  many  places  in  distant  lands 
people  are  pleading  to  be  taught  the  story  of  our  Master's 
love — that  any  should  be  turned  away  is  indeed  a  sad 
thing  when  we  have  the  message  placed  in  our  keeping, 
and  yet  that  is  actually  what  is  happening ;  for  our  mis- 
sionary boards,  with  hands  tied  by  the  coldness  in  the 
heart  of  the  Church,  are  forced  to  cripple  their  work  even 
on  the  threshold  of  these  vast  fields  of  promise. 

"  We,  every  one  of  us,  know  that  our  hves  in  college 
are  pretty  selfish  lives  when  we  look  at  them  at  all  closely 
— not  many  of  us  have  ever,  because  of  the  real  love 
which  we  have  for  our  Lord  Jesus,  actually  sacrificed 
any  of  our  pleasures  that  we  might  please  Him  in  some 
way. 

"  Fellows,  how  can  we  make  this  Christmas  time  a 
most  joyful  one  to  Him — yes,  and  to  us  ?  Does  the  best 
proof  of  our  devotion  lie  in  the  exchange  of  loving 
though  needless  gifts  among  friends  and  famihes  ?  Our 
lives  are  already  filled  with  joy. 

"  Shall  we  not  make  this  Christmas  season  most  blessed 
by  telling  our  parents  and  those  who  stand  closest  to  us, 
that  the  Christmas  gift  we  most  desire  is  a  receipt  from 
the  missionary  board  of  our  church  for  an  offering  made 
to  them.  Shall  we  not  give  to  our  friends  also  the  op- 
portunity of  receiving  from  us  a  like  gift  if  they  so  desire. 

"  Let  us  go  farther  than  this,  fellows,  and  set  aside  in 
the  days  to  come,  a  definite  proportion  of  our  allowance 
for  our  Lord — let  it  cut  into  the  room,  the  dinners,  the 
books — to  say  nothing  of  many  other  things.  They  are 
nothing  compared  to  the  love  which  is  His.  Surely  the 
Master  will  be  pleased  as  we  remember  Him  in  this  way. 


104  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

Many  young  people  throughout  our  country  are  uniting 
with  you.  And  when  we  think  of  the  joy  which  will 
come  from  the  breaking  of  the  light  in  many  darkened 
lives,  as  a  result  of  this  loving  service  to  our  Lord,  we 
can  indeed  hear  His  sweet  voice  saying,  *  Ye  did  it 
unto  Me.' 

"  Yours  in  His  glad  service, 

"  The  Yale  Missionary  Band." 

From  Chicago,  where  several  of  the  Band  had  spent 
their  vacation  (Christmas),  came  the  second  report  letter 
early  in  January  of  1899,  which  after  summarizing  the 
detailed  work  in  each  city  and  acknowledging  the  val- 
uable services  rendered  the  Band  by  Miss  Ella  D.  Mac- 
Laurin,  secretary  of  the  A.  B.  M.  U.,  closed  as  follows ; 

"  In  one  city  a  young  man  during  the  missionary 
meetings  determined  to  become  a  Christian,  and  on  the 
following  Sunday  united  with  the  Church.  Such  results, 
often  coming  as  definite  answers  to  definite  prayers,  are 
to  be  gratefully  accepted  as  the  evidence  that  God  is 
giving  the  increase  in  spite  of  much  carelessness  and 
many  mistakes  in  planting  and  watering. 

"  From  the  experience  of  these  three  months,  two 
thoughts  have  been  brought  home  very  forcibly  to  us. 
The  first  is  from  the  answers  to  prayer  which  have  varied 
from  the  solution  of  business  difficulties  beyond  our  con- 
trol, and  the  recovery  of  the  sick  when  the  work  seemed 
to  demand  immediate  restoration,  to  the  presence  of  the 
Spirit  in  meetings  and  in  human  lives.  Such  answers 
give  a  slight  realization  of  the  power  of  prayer  so  seldom 
used.  How  many  of  us  know  how  to  obtain  definite 
answers  to  definite  asking?     A  growing  desire  has  thus 


The  Yale  Missionary  Band  105 

been  born  to  learn  the  secrets  of  this  power,  and  to  see 
the  Church  entering  the  school  of  prayer  that  she  may- 
become  faithful  in  her  stewardship  of  this  manifold 
grace.  By  it  closed  doors  have  been  opened,  the  need 
of  men  supplied  in  God's  own  generous  way,  and  by  it 
the  present  financial  difficulties  shall  become  but  another 
of  those  triumphs  in  the  history  of  the  kingdom,  which 
stimulate  the  faith  of  the  Church.  To  enter  the  ministry 
of  intercession  the  Lord  calls  for  humble  surrendered 
lives.     Is  it  not  worth  the  price  ? 

"  The  second  thought  is  a  desire  that  the  Church  might 
get  the  inspiration  that  has  come  to  us  from  seeing  the 
enthusiasm  of  sacrifice  in  many  lives.  Young  women 
who  are  earning  their  living  on  small  salaries,  shop  girls, 
typewriters,  and  teachers,  have  given  ten,  twenty-five, 
and  even  seventy  dollars  for  missions,  and  they  have 
taken  the  lead  at  the  meetings  in  raising  the  support  of 
a  missionary.  Business  men  have  been  met  who  are 
deliberately  scaling  down  their  expenses  that  they  may 
give  largely,  and  they  talk  with  almost  boyish  enthusiasm 
of  the  blessedness  of  giving.  Boys  have  planned  to  earn 
the  support  of  a  native  worker,  and  one  said  he  could  do 
it  by  sawing  wood.  In  one  church  a  girl  gave  sixty  dol- 
lars, a  boy  volunteered  to  stop  smoking  and  give  his 
tobacco  money,  a  Sunday-school  class  of  girls  determined 
to  cut  off  every  unnecessary  expense  and  give  what  they 
saved,  and  an  infant  class  gave  five  dollars.  It  was  not 
strange  that  the  session  in  that  church  met  and  deter- 
mined to  make  the  support  of  a  missionary  a  matter  of 
prayer  while  they  canvassed  the  church.  Why  cannot 
we  all  know  the  blessedness  of  such  self-denial  ?  As  we 
enter  the  new  year,  whether  in  college  or  business  or  the 
home,  instead  of  making  resolutions  to  be  carried  out  at 


lo6  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

some  indefinite  time,  shall  we  not  at  once  put  the  Lord 
first  in  the  expense  account  for  1899,  and  instead  of 
giving  to  Him  what  is  left  when  every  need  of  ours  has 
been  supplied,  plan  the  year's  allowance  or  salary  with 
this  thought,  '  Seek  ye  first  the  kingdom,'  and  '  My  God 
shall  fulfill  every  need  of  yours.'  And  may  not  this 
thought  also  be  our  message  in  prayer- meeting,  pulpit 
and  parlour.  The  Lord's  people  are  tired  of  special 
appeals  which  find  them  unprepared  to  respond,  but  they 
will  welcome  a  plan  which  will  multiply  their  giving 
while  it  adds  the  joy  of  worship  to  what  has  so  long 
seemed  a  necessary  evil  connected  with  religious  life. 
The  response  to  President  McKinley's  proclamation  for 
troops  is  evidence  of  the  capacity  among  our  young 
people  for  self-sacrificing  devotion  when  the  cause  appeals 
to  them.  We  cannot  but  believe  that  though  the  enthu- 
siasm of  many  is  not  aroused  by  an  annual  collection  for 
church  benevolences,  there  are  multitudes  of  disciples 
ready  to  respond  when  they  hear  the  Captain  of  our  Sal- 
vation calling  for  those  who  are  willing  to  lose  their  lives 
in  a  daily  surrender  of  time  and  property  for  His  service. 
An  appeal,  not  to  church  pride  but  to  Christian  love,  not 
for  silver  collections,  but  for  royal  offerings,  has  found 
and  will  usually  find  many  to  respond. 

"  The  two  messages  go  together.  Prayer  for  the  world 
is  but  sounding  brass,  unless  it  is  breathed  from  a  life  of 
self-denial.  None  of  us  can  reach  the  limits  of  giving 
without  asking  that  the  Lord  will  make  us  able.  May 
He  who  can  make  all  grace  abound,  even  this  grace  of 
giving,  grant  us  all  sufficiency  in  everything  that  we  may 
abound  unto  every  good  work,  and  answer  our  prayer 
that  the  kingdom  of  God  may  come  more  completely  in 
our  own  land,  and  with  power  among  all  nations." 


The  Yale  Missionary  Band  107 

During   the  winter   holidays,  Lawrence  was  alone  in 
Chicago,  his  first  Christmas  away  from  home.     The  rush 
and  responsibilities  of  the  trip  during  the  fall  months  had 
made  his  weekly  letter  home  much  briefer  than  hitherto. 
"  It  is  very  hard  for  me  to  write  you  satisfactorily  to  my- 
self," he  had  written   early  in   the  fall,  "  as  there  are  so 
many  things  happening  that  I  cannot  remember  them  all 
or  give  them  in  a  consecutive  way."     Into  his  life  was 
coming  a  growing  sense  of  power  and  of  ability  to  call 
on  the  "  Strength  which  God  supplieth."     "  I  have  been 
asked  several  times  how  I  was  standing  the  strain  of  the 
work,"  he  writes  again, "  and  I  have  had  to  confess  that  I 
hadn't  realized  that  there  was  any  strain  at  all.     It  is  to 
me  almost  a  marvel  that  I  am  enabled  to  work  so  easily. 
I  sleep  well  and  go  to  sleep  quickly,  eat  well  and  feel 
rested  most  of  the  time."      His  later  letters  show  him 
happy  in  the  work  and  especially  in  the  welcome  which 
the  Yale  name  brought  to  him  among  strangers.     "  We  are 
all  entertained  royally,  almost  too  royally."     "  The  Yale 
name  carries  us  almost  everywhere."     "  Never  have  I  had 
...     so  much  to  be  thankful  for.     I  have  always  had 
reason  to  be  thankful  far  more  than  the  ordinary  man- 
even  of  Americans  :    for  home  and  parents  and  family 
and    country,  and  health  and  strength  and  advantages, 
education  at  Yale  and  opportunities  for  Christian  work 
there,  and  call  to  the  ministry  and  to  the  foreign  field,  and 
so  on  I  might  go  but  each  of  these  things  is  enough  to 
make    any   one    thankful.     And    then    this   year— the 
privilege  of  this  work,  too  great  it  seems  at  times,  and  the 
way  God  has  opened  doors  and  cleared  the  pathway  for 
it  and  the  way  He  is  blessing  us  in  it.     Why  it  is  simply 
overwhelming.     A  fellow  doesn't  deserve  it,  not  any  of 
it." 


lo8  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

The  work  of  the  first  two  weeks  of  the  new  year  was 
divided  between  Champaign,  Urbana,  Danville,  Ottawa, 
Chicago,  Milwaukee  and  Richmond,  Ind.  For  the  next 
eight  weeks  it  continued  as  follows :  Indianapolis, 
Detroit,  Toledo,  Cleveland,  Buffalo,  Syracuse,  and 
Albany.  At  Indianapolis  two  new  features  were  in- 
troduced, meetings  with  the  Y.  W.  C.  A.  and  denomina- 
tional rallies  at  the  close  of  the  week.  The  report  letter 
which  was  issued  from  Albany  early  in  March  was  re- 
plete with  incidents  which  gave  evidence  that  the  cam- 
paign was  fast  proving  itself  a  mighty  work  of  God. 

"  Dear  Friends  : 

"  It  is  impossible  to  keep  in  touch  by  personal  letters 
with  all  our  friends  during  this  year's  work.  So  what- 
ever have  been  the  ties  that  bound  us  together,  whether 
friendship  or  fellowship  in  this  missionary  campaign  or 
the  common  interests  of  the  kingdom,  we  come  to  you, 
perhaps  for  the  first  time,  with  this  report  of  the  work. 

"  Half  of  the  journey  is  behind  us.  Every  one  of  the 
thirty  cities  visited  has  brought  to  us  new  friends,  failures, 
successes,  and  a  rich  fund  of  experience. 

"  Naturally  the  most  encouraging  feature  of  this  work 
is  the  increasing  eagerness  with  which  the  suggested 
plans  and  methods  have  been  received  by  the  young 
people.  The  fruit  will  abide.  The  scores  of  instances 
of  a  ready  response  to  the  message  of  sacrifice  have  been 
evidence  of  the  answered  prayer  of  those  who  are 
*  labouring  together  with  us.'  Even  as  we  are  writing 
there  comes  a  most  striking  illustration  of  God's  way  of 
working.  Off  in  the  Hawaiian  Islands,  in  a  mission 
chapel,  the  letter  reporting  a  portion  of  the  work  was 
read  aloud.     It  asked  for  sacrifice  in  taking  an  advance 


The  Yale  Missionary  Band  109 

step  in  the  work  for  missions.  The  thirty  persons 
gathered  there  responded  by  pledging  ;^200.oo  to  help 
send  two  native  Christians  back  to  their  home  in  the 
Ladrone  Islands  to  become  pioneers  in  entering  these 
most  recent  of  the  *  Open  Doors.' 

"  For  us  five  men  it  has  been  the  greatest  privilege  of 
our  lives  to  have  a  part  in  such  a  work,  but  even  deeper 
than  this  impression  of  privilege  is  that  of  responsibility. 

"  It  is  becoming  well-nigh  overwhelming.  If  you  were 
in  our  place  what  would  you  say  in  the  half-hour  of 
golden  opportunity,  standing  before  a  wealthy  church  or 
audience  of  young  people,  with  all  their  possibilities  of 
mighty  power.  As  you  stand  there,  fully  realizing  your 
own  weakness,  and  keenly  appreciating  the  critical  need 
of  those  in  the  thick  of  the  fight,  you  know  that  they  are 
challenged  to  advance  by  the  splendid  opportunities  just 
when  we  are  compelling  them  to  retreat.  Before  you  is 
a  congregation  possessing  all  the  fullness  of  supply  which 
God  has  entrusted  to  us  to  satisfy  that  need.  In  that 
half-hour  how  can  you  persuade  them  that  the  life  of 
sacrifice  can  bring  to  them  greater  joy  and  satisfaction 
than  one  that  is  self-centered.  Evidences  of  the  luxury 
of  the  homes  from  which  they  have  gathered  is  not 
needed  when  all  about  you  is  proof  that  their  first  thought 
is  for  self.  They  are  spending  more  perhaps  for  a  choir 
to  entertain  them,  more  for  the  intellectual  addresses  to 
which  they  listen,  perhaps  even  more  for  attractive  pro- 
grams, and  many  times  more  for  the  fine  temple  in  which 
to  worship,  than  they  are  giving  to  the  great  enterprises 
for  which  they  were  called  in  Christ. 

"  Is  it  any  wonder  that  these  churches  are  not  winning 
souls  ?  But  what  can  you  say  to  them  that  would  bring 
a  clear  vision  of  the  dear  Master  as  He  sends  us  out  into 


no  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

the  white  harvest  fields.  Is  it  not  a  terrible  responsibil- 
ity ?  Or  what  will  you  say  to  an  audience  of  Christian 
Endeavourers  that  will  not  straightway  be  crowded 
from  their  hearts  by  all  the  pleasures  and  social  demands 
of  their  lives.  Say  something  you  must  that  will  lead 
them  to  desire  above  everything  else  this  life  of  glad  sur- 
render to  the  Lord's  will. 

"  The  famine-stricken  natives  of  India  are  not  the  only 
ones  that  are  starving.  These  wealthy  congregations  and 
these  young  people  whose  Hves  are  crowded  full  of 
society  are  feeding  only  on  the  husks. 

"  But  it  has  grown  upon  us  that  the  Lord's  people  are 
waiting  to  be  led  into  a  deeper  consecration.  There  is 
before  us  all  a  common  sense  reordering  of  our  lives 
begun  in  the  definite  determination  that  every  pleasure  or 
extravagance  or  custom  of  the  world  that  would  separate 
us  from  Christ  shall  be  crushed,  and  that  His  will  and  His 
service  shall  be  our  greatest  interest. 

"  Certainly  this  will  mean  a  more  active  part  in  Chris- 
tian work  for  many,  just  as  it  means  for  all  more  time 
spent  in  sitting  at  His  feet  in  the  study  of  His  word  and 
in  prayer.  Every  one  of  us  can  consecrate  at  least  the 
tithe  of  his  own  income  or  of  that  which  is  so  willingly 
spent  upon  us  by  others.  And  why  shall  we  make  this 
sacrifice  ?  What  forbids  our  living  in  the  old  way  ? 
Only  those  words  of  His, '  Even  so  send  I  you.* " 

The  final  ten  weeks  of  the  campaign  began  in  New 
York  City  (March  11-17)  and  ended  with  Yale  (May  14). 
The  weeks  which  intervened,  with  the  exception  of  the 
Brooklyn  campaign,  were  spent  entirely  in  New  Eng- 
land, in  Lynn,  Lowell,  Portland,  Boston,  Providence, 
Springfield   and    Hartford   successively.     Besides   these 


The  Yale  Missionary  Band  1 1 1 

regular  engagements  members  of  the  Band  spoke  at 
Harvard,  Brown,  Andover,  Mt.  Holyoke  and  Welles- 
ley,  and  at  numerous  district  conferences.  New  York 
City  presented  the  hardest  field  because  of  its  size  and 
the  difficulty  in  getting  the  attention  where  numberless 
meetings  constantly  compete.  More  organized  effort 
and  ingenuity  were  put  into  the  preparations  than  in  any 
other  city.  The  result  was  a  record  breaking  attendance, 
with  one  hundred  and  fifty  societies  and  four  thousand 
people  at  the  week-night  meetings.  The  final  rally  was 
marked  with  the  novel  placard: 

Missionary  Meetifig,  Standing  Room  Only. 

In  the  New  York  and  Brooklyn  rallies  Mr.  Robert  E. 
Speer  presided  and  made  a  memorable  close  to  the  ad- 
dresses. In  Boston  with  its  suburbs  the  attendance  of 
the  New  York  meetings  was  equalled.  Soon  after  the 
Boston  meetings  occurs  the  following  paragraph  in  one 
of  the  report  letters  : 

"  The  past  three  weeks  have  seen  a  more  consciously 
fruitful  service,  perhaps,  than  any  previous  period.  The 
sweetest  proof  of  His  presence  in  the  work  is  a  letter 
from  a  city  we  recently  left  telling  of  two  lives  which 
had  taken  Jesus  as  Lord  as  a  direct  or  indirect  result  of 
the  missionary  meetings.  It  is  but  another  striking 
proof  that  the  spirit  of  missions  is  the  Spirit  of 
Christ." 

At  Yale,  in  that  upper  room  of  Dwight  Hall,  where 
for  twenty  years  students  have  gathered  every  Sunday 
evening  in  term  time  to  listen  to  inspiring  messages  from 
the  great  preachers  of  the  land,  the  campaign  of  the  Yale 


112  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

Band  ended  on  May  14.  Fitting  it  was  indeed  that  the 
year's  work  should  be  brought  to  a  close  in  a  spot  so 
near  to  the  little  semi-circular  room  in  which  the  five 
young  men  had  seen  the  vision  and  from  which  they  had 
gone  forth  to  realize  it  a  year  before.  In  the  quiet  of  an 
evening  hour  they  told  the  remarkable  story  of  the  year. 
Different  in  kind,  to  be  sure,  had  been  their  call  from 
that  which  others  of  Yale  had  heard  and  to  which  they 
had  nobly  responded  in  May  of  1898,  and  in  obedience  to 
which  some  had  already  laid  down  their  lives  in  Cuba 
and  the  far  East.  But  our  hearts  kindled  as  we  listened 
to  the  report  of  these  five  campaigners  of  the  Cross,  who 
had  likewise  warred  a  good  warfare  against  the  subtler 
forces  of  indifference  and  selfishness  "  for  God,  for  coun- 
try and  for  Yale." 

The  actual  results  of  the  year's  work  and  its  deeper 
lessons  were  recorded  in  the  closing  letter  which  was 
issued  from  Yale  in  June. 

"  Dear  Friends  : 

"  May  not  this  closing  report  letter  come  to  you 
as  a  message  from  friend  to  friend  ?  Whatever  the  past 
year's  work  may  have  meant  to  others  in  the  home  or 
the  foreign  field,  it  has  meant  much  to  us.  And  the 
sharing  with  you  the  spiritual  lessons  of  the  year  and  the 
impressions  received  from  meeting  young  people  of 
many  cities,  we  believe  will  mean  more  to  you  than  an 
impersonal  report  of  meetings  and  conferences.  May 
we  not,  therefore,  speak  confidentially  and  personally. 

"  In  the  first  place,  the  year's  experience  has  meant 
much  in  the  prayer  life.  To  be  dependent  on  God  al- 
ways does.  And  no  one  can  be  long  in  His  work  with- 
out feeling  dependent,  for  our  best  laid  plans  '  gang  aft 


The  Yale  Missionary  Band  113 

a-gley.'  Sometimes  the  uncertainties  of  the  future  pre- 
vent us  even  from  doing  the  planning.  Last  summer 
as  the  time  approached  when  the  arrangements  with  the 
first  cities  to  be  visited  must  be  definite,  only  three  men 
could  plan  certainly  to  do  the  work.  The  other  two  had 
obstacles.  Finally  those  in  charge  of  arrangements  could 
endure  the  strain  no  longer  and  plead  with  God  for  a  sign 
which  would  give  definite  assurance  that  they  should  go 
forward.  That  very  night  there  came  a  letter  with  the 
news  that  the  fourth  man  was  able  to  go,  and  the  work 
was  assured.  A  few  weeks  later  the  efforts  to  secure 
money  for  expenses  were  apparently  a  failure,  and  as  it 
seemed  unwise  to  ask  the  churches  to  pay  them,  it  was 
necessary  to  start  on  an  eight  months'  tour,  with  no  one 
to  look  to  but  the  Lord  who  sent  out  His  disciples  without 
purse.  Soon  the  slender  personal  resources  with  which 
we  started  were  exhausted,  and  we  saw  no  means  of  go- 
ing farther.  In  this  second  crisis  we  again  asked  God 
for  a  sign  that  we  might  know  that  He  really  wished  us 
to  proceed  on  what  was  not  the  *  common  sense '  basis. 
Hardly  an  hour  later  one  of  us  opened  a  letter  containing 
a  large  check  with  the  promise  of  a  duplicate  from  an 
entirely  unexpected  source.  Do  you  wonder  that  we 
have  with  confidence  gone  on,  even  though  the  treasury 
may  have  at  times  been  low  ?  No  large  gift  has  come 
since  then.  That  first  was  sent  by  a  loving  Father  to 
strengthen  a  weak  faith.  And  so  in  planning  and  provid- 
ing we  have  tested  Him  for  eight  months  in  one  neces- 
sity after  another.  If  this  supply  be  thought  but  a 
chain  of  coincidences,  there  have  been  deeper  needs  sup- 
plied than  those  of  the  management  or  the  treasury. 
Imagine  yourself  with  little  or  no  experience — with  only 
the  conviction  that  something  should  be  said  and  done 


114  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

to  awaken  the  church-meeting  night  after  night  with 
audiences  that  expected  you  to  convict,  convince  and 
arouse  them.  Would  you  not  have  felt  helpless  ?  And 
here  again  His  answer  to  prayer  has  been,  *  My  grace  is 
sufficient  for  thee  ;  for  My  power  is  made  perfect  in 
weakness.'  The  conviction  grew  deeper  from  October 
to  June  that  power  was  manifested  in  the  work  almost 
in  exact  proportion  as  we  were  faithful  in  the  prayer  life. 
With  this  conviction  came  another,  that  our  work  must 
first  be  planned  and  wrought  in  prayer,  then  translated 
into  action.  At  the  beginning,  business  took  the  first 
place  in  our  morning  meeting,  and  prayer  what  time  was 
left.  Then  a  definite  hour  was  reserved  for  prayer.  But 
with  the  pressure  of  much  business,  there  was  great 
temptation  to  allow  the  business  hour  to  still  crowd  the 
prayer.  And  so  it  was  not  long  before  prayer  had  to 
be  given  first  place  and  business  what  remained.  From 
putting  prayer  first  in  our  work,  it  was  a  natural  step 
into  that  ministry  of  intercession  where  prayer  for 
others  took  the  precedence  over  our  own  needs.  Doubt- 
less, many  a  day,  our  Lord  has  counted  the  intercession 
together  in  the  morning  more  than  the  interviews  and 
meetings  in  the  evening.  And  does  it  not  seem  a  little 
ridiculous  that  we  should  be  'too  busy'  for  it?  To  us 
the  lesson  of  faith  and  faithfulness  in  prayer  is  worth  a 
year,  if  it  has  been  learned. 

"  But  aside  from  these  personal  experiences,  few  men 
ever  had  greater  opportunities.  They  were  worthy  of 
Paul  and  Barnabas,  rather  than  of  five  schoolboys  just 
out  of  college.  At  a  time  when  the  Volunteer  Move- 
ment stood  almost  blocked  with  4,000  purposing  to  go, 
but  hindered  by  lack  of  funds,  while  in  many  mission 
fields  it  was  but  a  question  of  gathering  the  harvest, 


The  Yale  Missionary  Band  115 

think  of  addressing  about  900  meetings  with  nearly 
200,000  people  in  ninety-five  cities,  towns  and  suburbs, 
scattered  over  the  wealthy  section  of  the  country,  from 
Washington  to  St.  Louis  and  Milwaukee  to  Portland,  Me. 
Think  of  reaching  between  two  and  three  thousand  of  the 
strongest  young  people's  societies  in  364  conferences  on 
practical  work. 

"  The  experience  has  made  upon  us  two  very  strong 
impressions,  to  which  previous  letters  have  given  some 
expression.  First,  is  the  unutterable  need  of  Hfting  the 
young  people  out  of  themselves  and  enlisting  their  effort 
more  truly  for  Christ  and  the  Church,  instead  of  for  their 
own  society  or  even  their  local  parish.  At  a  recent  con- 
vention the  young  people  were  asked  to  report  some 
advance  work  done  or  attempted.  One  told  of  an  im- 
provement in  the  singing.  Another  was  commended  for 
a  new  church  window  given.  Others  reported  nothing 
new,  but  good  prayer-meetings,  in  which  *  little  time 
went  to  waste.'  Less  than  one-fifth  reported  any  work 
for  others  than  their  own  members.  Out  of  900  socie- 
ties from  which  we  have  written  reports,  few  over  two- 
thirds  were  found  with  missionary  committees,  about  one 
in  five  had  missionary  meetings  oftener  than  once  in  three 
months,  one  in  seven  or  eight  had  a  missionary  library, 
one  in  fifteen  had  a  mission-study  class,  and  only  one  in 
nine  claimed  any  system  of  giving  to  missions,  home  or 
foreign.  How  can  we  show  them  that  100  testimonies  in 
half  an  hour  is  not  so  much  the  service  for  which  the 
Master  longs,  as  souls  saved  in  the  foreign  field  through 
their  sacrifice  and  in  the  home  field  through  their  lives. 

"  The  second  impression  is  that  the  young  people  are 
as  ready  for  an  appeal  for  heroic  sacrifice  as  the  students 
who  have  furnished  the  waiting  army  of  volunteers.    They 


ii6  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

need  the  appeal.  They  need  the  education  which  the 
students  have  had  in  missions.  They  need  to  be  told 
what  to  do.  They  need  leaders.  If  their  pastors  will 
give  them  a  missionary  education  instead  of  an  annual 
sermon,  if  the  volunteers  will  go  among  them  with  clear- 
cut  plans  and  the  message, '  Who  will  send  us  ? '  and  if 
their  leaders  will  give  the  world's  conquest  its  share  of 
the  ability  and  energy  which  they  have  long  put  into 
other  departments,  the  young  people  will  take  their  part 
in  winning  the  world  for  Christ. 

"  In  a  half-hour  conference  where  from  two  to  twenty 
societies  were  present,  thorough  work  was  impossible. 
Yet  nearly  all  the  societies  that  had  no  missionary  com- 
mittee were  ready  to  appoint  one  (243) ;  767,  out  of  the 
900,  planned  to  adopt  a  missionary  prayer  cycle,  to  be 
followed  at  each  meeting ;  686  determined  to  study  the 
method  of  work  outlined  in  the  official  missionary  manual 
of  their  organization;  585  planned  to  secure  a  mission- 
ary library,  396  to  organize  a  mission-study  class,  525  to 
start  a  system  of  giving,  and  477  to  promote  the  plan  of 
giving  to  the  Lord  the  tenth  of  one's  income.  Of  353 
societies  questioned  on  the  point,  288  determined  to 
have  a  monthly  or  bi-monthly  missionary  meeting.  One 
hundred  and  forty-one  societies  have  indicated  the 
amounts  they  were  giving  or  would  try  to  give,  the 
sums  aggregating  ;^2 1,1 40.00.  Over  350  orders  have 
been  taken  for  the  student  missionary  campaign  library 
of  sixteen  volumes,  and  many  more  orders  have  gone 
directly  to  the  Student  Missionary  Campaign  office. 
This  will  circulate  about  7,000  volumes  of  inspiring 
missionary  reading.  The  people  have  been  eager  for 
literature.  A  literature  table  at  each  of  the  week-night 
meetings  has  been  the  means  of  circulating  11,000  copies 


The  Yale  Missionary  Band  117 

of  various  pamphlets  and  small  books,  and  500  maps  of 
the  world,  coloured  to  represent  the  prevailing  religions. 
This  includes  1,185  copies  of  •  Missionary  Methods  for 
Missionary  Committees,'  1,867  copies  of  *  Prayer  and 
Missions,'  by  Robert  E.  Speer ;  3,000  copies  of  *  Pray 
Without  Ceasing,'  by  Andrew  Murray,  and  2,300  copies 
of  ♦  Money  and  the  Kingdom,'  by  Dr.  Josiah  Strong. 

"  The  Christian  Endeavour  tithing  ballots  have  been 
used  in  only  a  small  proportion  of  the  meetings,  but 
with  these  results:  1,263  voted  to  give  one-tenth  or 
more  of  their  incomes  to  the  Lord's  work  (about  three- 
fifths  of  these  were  already  doing  so) ;  304  voted  to  try 
for  six  months  the  plan  of  giving  one-tenth  ;  602  decided 
to  give  a  fixed  proportion,  though  less  than  the  tenth ; 
983  agreed  to  keep  careful  account  of  all  they  give  away. 

"  How  much  this  will  all  amount  to  depends  on  the 
officers  of  the  individual  societies  and  the  missionary 
committees  in  the  local  unions.  Part  of  the  results  will 
depend  upon  some  of  you  who  read  this  letter.  From 
many  cities  come  reports  of  a  steady  advance.  In  a  few, 
there  is  little  on  the  surface  to  show  for  the  work.  But 
the  battle  goes  on.  We  stand  on  the  heights  won  by  the 
sacrifice  of  thousands,  from  Samuel  Mills  and  the  other 
fellows  behind  the  haystack  down  to  the  present  student 
uprising.  The  coming  century  will  witness  a  great  vic- 
tory. We  can  already  see  the  signs  of  it.  One  board 
alone  plans  to  send  out  fifty-six  new  missionaries  this  sum- 
mer, in  the  belief  that  the  Church  is  awaking.  Shall  we 
not  enter  the  battle  and  stay  in  it  as  long  as  any  fight  is  left 
in  us  ?  If  Samuel  Mills  in  1806  could  say  of  his  prepos- 
terous proposal  to  send  the  gospel  to  the  heathen,  *  We 
can  do  it  if  we  will,'  it's  a  Christian  of  poor  stuff  that 
gives  up  because  the  people  in  his  own  community  *  are 


ii8  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

hard  to  rouse.'  God  help  us  all  to  say  in  the  hour  of 
Christ's  triumph,  '  We  have  fought  a  good  fight.'  " 

The  success  of  the  Band  campaign  was  immediate  and 
its  results  far-reaching.  It  was  discussed  widely  in  the 
religious  press  and  the  Congregationalist  characterized  it 
editorially  as  one  of  the  five  significant  movements  of  the 
year  1899.  Happily,  to  all  the  men  who  were  engaged 
in  the  work  it  was  granted  to  know  in  part  the  results  of 
the  year  of  service.  Lawrence's  heart  was  often  cheered 
by  the  testimony  which  came  as  time  passed. 

"  I  have  been  very  much  touched  at  the  expressions  of 
interest  in  us  boys  (the  Yale  Band)  from  those  to  whom 
I  wrote  all  over  the  country  for  suggestions  for  Cincin- 
nati," he  wrote  in  1901.  "They  make  me  feel  that  our 
hold  is  still  strong  on  the  hearts  of  many  workers.  And 
best  of  all  they  feel  at  home  with  us  and  really  friendly." 

Again  he  writes : 

"  I  wrote  to  Mrs.   C of  Albany  and  received  the 

most  cordial  letter.  I  knew  I  would.  I  have  never  yet 
found  that  the  friendships  I  made  that  year  [Yale  Band] 
have  failed.  They  have  proved  even  more  than  I  had 
dreamed.  ...  I  had  such  a  good  time  there.  It  is 
literally  my  Albany  home.  I  feel  almost  like  a  mem- 
ber of  the  family,  as  I  do  of  a  good  many  other  families 
scattered  over  the  country." 

P'rom  Syracuse,  on  the  eve  of  his  departure  for  China, 
came  the  following  letter  from  the  State  Superintendent 
of  the  Christian  Endeavour  Society  of  New  York. 


The  Yale  Missionary  Band  1 1 9 

"  I  want  to  testify  that  my  first  interest  in  mission 
study  grew  out  of  the  visit  to  Syracuse  of  the  Yale  Band, 
though  it  has  taken  some  time  for  the  fruitage.  How- 
ever I  have  gotten  to  the  point  where  it  has  become  in- 
tensely interesting.  The  campaign  is  going  further  than 
just  Syracuse,  for  in  my  State  work,  I  have  been  making 
mission  study  the  slogan  this  year  and  I  feel  sure  that  in- 
terest in  the  subject  has  been  aroused  in  many  quarters 
even  though  it  may  not  bear  fruit  all  at  once." 

There  were  other  results  too,  more  permanent  and  far- 
reaching,  which  it  was  not  his  privilege  to  know.  There 
had  been  student  missionary  campaigns  before  that  of  the 
Yale  Band  but  they  had  been  spasmodic,  local  and  denom- 
inational. This  one  was  progressive,  national  and 
inter-denominational — the  first  of  its  kind.  Of  its  in- 
fluence on  a  later  missionary  propaganda,  Mr.  C.  V.  Vick- 
rey  wrote  shortly  after  Lawrence's  death : 

"  I  have  just  returned  from  a  trip  West  and  South  in 
which  I  have  been  over  a  large  part  of  the  territory 
covered  in  the  Yale  Band  campaign  and  have  met  many 
of  the  people  whose  acquaintance  we  first  formed  at  that 
time.  Many  were  the  expressions  of  affectionate  regard 
for  the  first  of  the  Yale  Band  to  reach  the  foreign  field  and 
the  first  to  enter  into  his  reward.  .  .  .  Everywhere 
I  found  the  same  sense  of  loss  felt  by  many  who  I  hardly 
supposed  would  have  remembered  the  friendships  of  six 
years  ago. 

"  Another  very  gratifying  thing  to  me  was  to  see  the 
evidence  of  growth  and  permanency  in  the  work  which 
Larry  helped  to  inaugurate  at  the  time.  In  Dayton,  for 
instance,  where  we  went  for  four  days,  there  was  held 


120  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

during  my  stay  there  a  Missionary  Institute  attended  by 
representatives  of  about  seventy  churches  from  Dayton 
and  surrounding  cities,  sessions  being  held  morning, 
afternoon  and  evening  for  three  days.  As  a  result  of  the 
institute  there  were  two  volunteers  for  the  foreign  field, 
pledges  secured  for  the  organization  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty  mission  study  classes  and  plans  inaugurated  for  sys- 
tematic deputation  work  among  all  the  Young  People's 
Societies  of  southwestern  Ohio.  Dayton  is  only  one  of 
the  many  cities  where  the  work  has  taken  on  larger  pro- 
portions since  the  original  planting  of  the  seed  in  '98. 
In  fact,  I  think  it  may  truthfully  be  said  that  the  present 
Young  People's  Missionary  Movement  is  in  no  small 
measure  the  outgrowth  of  the  work  of  the  Yale  Band  in 
which  Larry  was  unquestionably  the  leading  spirit." 

A  member  of  the  Band  writes  of  the  year's  work  and 
of  Lawrence's  part  in  it  as  follows : 

"  As  I  try  to  set  down  my  impressions  of  the  year  now 
the  things  that  stand  out  especially  are  these : 

"  I.  The  audacity  of  the  scheme.  Five  college 
youths,  inexperienced  and  without  anything  to  recom- 
mend them  save  an  overwhelming  sense  of  mission,  start- 
ing out  on  a  year's  campaign  which  would  take  them  into 
some  of  the  most  complex  situations  in  some  of  the 
largest  cities  in  the  country.  The  wonder  of  it  to  me  is 
that  the  plan  succeeded.  But  the  secret  is  an  open  one. 
The  sense  of  mission  was  absolute,  the  conviction  with 
which  the  message  was  given  was  a  burning  one.  The 
end  sought  was  always  the  great  thing  and  personalities 
and  everything  that  savoured  of  self-confidence  were  con- 
sistently thrust  into  the  background. 


The  Yale  Missionary  Band  121 

"  2.  At  first  there  was  no  well-developed  plan  of 
campaign.  The  Band  had  had  no  experience.  They 
had  to  get  it  all.  It  is  a  marvel  to  me  that  it  came  so 
quickly.  The  lack  of  any  sense  of  self-sufficiency  I  sup- 
pose made  the  men  keenly  alive  to  suggestion  and  they 
got  much  from  the  seasoned  workers  in  Washington. 
From  that  time  on  there  was  always  a  great  impatience 
with  anything  that  did  not  eventuate  into  a  practical  re- 
sult. Much  emphasis  was  placed  on  tying  things  up  to  a 
definite  organization  and  placing  responsibihty  on  individ- 
uals to  actually  realize  on  the  plans  laid.  This  practical 
spirit  linked  with  the  abounding  enthusiasm  was  a  great 
combination. 

"  3.  I  have  never  known  anything  since  like  the  feel- 
ing of  touch  with  the  unlimited  power  of  God  through 
prayer.  Not  only  was  prayer  made  a  prominent  part  of 
the  work  but  it  was  the  rock  upon  which  everything  was 
built.     I  think  the  report  letters  show  this  very  clearly. 

"  4.  No  one  of  the  group  was  an  orator.  It  was 
something  else  that  counted.  I  remember  often  being 
astonished  beyond  measure  to  see  the  results  coming  after 
what  seemed  a  miserable  failure  of  a  speech. 

"  5.  The  physical  strain  was  of  course  great.  It  was 
insisted  that  one  man  should  be  laid  off  each  night  to  rest. 
Yet  there  were  times  when  at  least  two  of  the  men  seemed 
to  be  breaking.  A  merciful  Providence  must  have 
watched  over  the  group  to  keep  them  all  from  sickness 
and  to  give  them  wisdom  in  caring  for  the  rest  and  re- 
laxation periods.  When  they  did  break  loose,  though,  it 
was  like  a  pack  of  children. 

"  6.  The  friendships  formed  were  something  deeper 
than  in  my  power  to  say. 

"  As  I  think  back  over  these  six  outstanding  impressions 


122  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

that  abide  with  me,  from  the  year's  work  I  can  see  at  a 
glance  that  Lawrence  Thurston  is  wrapped  up  in  every 
one  of  them  and  that  to  a  great  extent  he  is  more  re- 
sponsible than  any  one  for  some  of  them. 

"  I.  He  was  one  of  the  men  who  had  the  deepest  sense 
of  mission.  It  was  he  who  held  the  men  together  before 
the  plan  was  fairly  launched,  when  there  was  some  doubt 
as  to  whether  it  should  be  undertaken  or  not.  He  never 
wavered  in  his  position  that  it  was  a  direct  call  from  God 
to  do  a  definite  piece  of  work  and  that  it  must  therefore 
be  undertaken.  His  humble  faith  was  always  equal  to 
any  emergency.  He  was  always  seeking  to  efface  him- 
self, however,  and  take  the  less  important  pieces  of  work. 
His  purpose  was  a  very  simple  one,  but  it  was  as  Emer- 
son says,  '  as  strong  as  iron  necessity  is  to  others.'  I 
can  see  how  this  quality  contributed  much  to  the  stability 
and  solidity  of  the  group  and  how  it  helped  to  keep  the 
Band  from  being  turned  aside  by  obstacles. 

"  2.  In  the  matter  of  the  Band's  method  of  work  his 
intensely  practical  spirit  helped  tremendously  to  keep  the 
necessity  for  attaining  results  constantly  in  the  foreground. 
He  was  impatient  with  superficial  work.  In  the  evolu- 
tion of  the  plan  of  campaign  he  was  always  the  wise 
councillor  and  an  economist  of  the  first  rank.  His  mind 
seemed  to  take  hold  of  the  situation  on  all  sides  and  he 
was  continually  seeking  the  shortest  cut  to  the  end. 

"  3.  Lawrence's  influence  on  the  prayer  life  of  the 
group  was  one  of  the  strongest.  Prayer  to  him  was  in- 
tense. It  needed  all  the  concentration  of  mind  and  soul 
and  body  of  which  he  was  capable.  One  felt  that  he  was 
in  the  very  presence  of  God  and  that  his  prayer  was 
effectual.  His  prayers  were  always  unselfish.  They 
were  for  others,  not  for  himself.     It  was  a  real  life — a 


^  The  Yale  Missionary  Band  123 

reality  of  experience  that  continually  freshened  and 
deepened  his  life.  The  fact  that  the  year's  work  was  laid 
upon  such  a  spiritually  deep  foundation  I  feel  was  due  in 
large  measure  to  him. 

♦'  4.  This  sort  of  prayer  life  showed  itself  of  necessity 
in  his  public  addresses.  He  was  no  orator.  He  on 
the  contrary  often  had  difficulty  in  expressing  himself  as 
he  wished.  Yet  the  intense  earnestness  of  the  utterance 
compelled  attention,  and  the  character  behind  the  words 
drove  them  home  with  force.  He  spoke  as  he  felt  God 
would  have  him  speak.  Often  it  was  an  uncompromising 
and  a  harsh  message — one  difficult  for  him  to  give — yet 
he  never  shirked  when  the  necessity  for  plain  speech  was 
laid  upon  him. 

"  5.  Physically  he  was  never  robust.  I  have  seen  him 
sometimes  when  he  had  to  steady  himself  by  leaning 
upon  the  pulpit  as  he  spoke,  and  often  he  would  be 
utterly  exhausted  by  his  evening's  work.  It  seemed  at 
one  time  as  if  he  would  have  to  give  up  the  work,  because 
of  the  nervous  and  physical  drain.  Yet  no  one  guarded 
the  physical  Kfe  more  carefully  than  he.  His  rest  days 
were  religiously  observed,  and  it  was  he  who  planned  a 
hunt  for  rabbits  in  an  Illinois  cornfield,  and  a  couple  of 
days  off  for  pickerel  fishing  in  Massachusetts.  His  love 
for  nature  and  an  outdoor  life  was  deep  and  vital. 

"  6.  He  had  a  peculiar  gift  for  strong  friendships — a 
genius  for  loving  men.  Those  to  whom  he  gave  himself 
in  this  way  were  not  many  in  number  I  imagine,  but 
when  he  really  loved  a  man  it  was  with  an  intensity  and 
a  fidelity  that  nothing  could  shake.  It  was  a  rare  thing 
to  know  such  a  friendship  as  this.  It  was  one  of  the 
priceless  things  that  he  has  left  us,  for  it  keeps  him  with 
us  and  helps  us  to  carry  on  his  work  in  the  world. 


124  ^  ^^^^  With  a  Purpose 

"  I  suppose  the  things  he  brought  into  the  Yale  Band 
work  were  so  basic  and  fundamental  that  the  far-reaching 
success  of  the  year  would  not  have  been  possible  with- 
out him.  The  work  might  have  been  done  of  course, 
but  when  one  reviews  his  contribution  to  it  it  seems  to 
consist  of  essential  things.  And  the  whole  was  done  in 
such  an  unconscious  way  with  no  assumption  of  author- 
ity or  leadership,  that  it  seems  the  more  remarkable." 


V 

Theological  Seminary 


«*  He  looked  for  the  city  which  hath  the  foundations,  whose  builder  and 
maker  is  God." — Hebrews  ii  :  lo. 

"  Peace  !  perfect  peace  !  in  this  dark  world  of  sin  ? 
The  blood  of  Jesus  whispers  peace  within. 
Peace  !  perfect  peace  !  by  thronging  duties  pressed  ? 
To  do  the  will  of  Jesus,  this  is  rest. 
Peace  !  perfect  peace  !  with  sorrows  surging  round  ? 
On  Jesus'  bosom  naught  but  calm  is  found. 
Peace !  perfect  peace  !  with  loved  ones  far  away  ? 
In  Jesus'  keeping  we  are  safe  and  they. 
Peace  !  perfect  peace  !  our  future  all  unknown  ? 
Jesus  we  know  and  He  is  on  the  throne. 
Peace  !  perfect  peace !  death  shadowing  us  and  ours  ? 
Jesus  has  vanquished  death  and  all  its  powers. 
It  is  enough  :  earth's  struggles  soon  shall  cease. 
And  Jesus  call  us  to  heaven's  perfect  peace." 

— Edward  H.  Bickersteth. 


V 

THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY 

FROM  the  year  of  intense  service  in  the  Yale  Band 
campaign  Lawrence  withdrew  in  the  fall  of  1899 
into  the  cloistered  life  of  the  theological  semi- 
nary. There  could  scarcely  have  been  a  better  prepara- 
tion, however,  for  the  critical  and,  to  many,  unsettling 
studies  upon  which  he  was  about  to  enter,  than  the  year 
through  which  he  had  just  passed.  Fresh  from  an  actual 
experience  of  the  working  power  of  Christianity,  and 
from  broader  observations  of  the  needs  of  humanity,  he 
was  ready  to  face  fearlessly  and  honestly  whatever  ad- 
vanced theology  might  have  to  offer ;  and,  at  the  same 
time,  to  make  whatever  adjustments  in  his  personal 
views,  truth  might  require. 

He  had  planned,  from  the  first,  to  divide  the  three 
years  of  his  seminary  course  equally  between  Auburn 
and  Hartford  Seminaries.  There  were  instructors  in 
both  institutions  under  whose  teaching  he  desired  to 
place  himself;  yet  he  felt  that  he  ought  to  graduate  from 
a  seminary  of  his  own  denomination.  The  fact  that  Bell 
and  Eddy  of  his  class  at  Yale  were  to  be  at  Auburn  was 
as  strong  an  inducement  as  any  which  led  him  to  spend 
the  first  year  and  a  half  at  this  seminary. 

Much  the  same  spirit  marked  the  seminary  days  which 
had  characterized  his  earlier  preparation  for  his  life-work. 

"  He  was  the  same  old  Larry :  giving  himself  *  sys- 
tematically and  proportionately  '  to  his  work  whether  he 

127 


128  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

liked  it  or  not.  He  used  to  say,  '  Woe  is  me  if  I  preach 
not  the  gospel/  and  I  sometimes  used  to  wonder  if  it 
were  not  also  woe  to  prepare  to  preach ;  for  he  had  no 
love  for  some  of  the  regular  studies.  Yet  he  accepted 
his  '  duty '  most  cheerfully ;  studied  by  the  clock,  as  it 
were,  and  tried  to  make  his  studies  serve  his  own  mental 
and  moral  growth,  if  nothing  else.  He  was  very  faithful. 
It  was  something  quite  unusual  that  could  induce  him  to 
throw  aside  his  work — no  matter  how  much  he  disliked 
it — before  he  thought  the  time  was  up.  You  could  not 
get  him  away  at  Auburn  any  easier  than  at  Yale ;  prob- 
ably not  so  easily,  for  Larry  had  grown  in  moral  vigour. 
Yet  he  was  a  pronounced  advocate  of  regular  daily  exer- 
cise and  recreation.  Baseball,  football,  tennis,  golf,  etc., 
had  few  attractions  for  him,  but  he  did  take  to  bicycling 
and  walking,  especially  the  latter.  His  walk  was  char- 
acteristic :  quick  and  strong.  And  in  this  we  learned  to 
follow  Larry,  though  not  in  his  footsteps  ;  they  were  too 
many. 

"  His  work  in  the  class-room  was  never  brilliant,  but  the 
professors  could  always  count  on  his  sincerity  and  down- 
right earnestness.  I  doubt  if  he  loved  systematic  the- 
ology, in  spite  of  the  fact  that  he  loved  system  in  general. 
This  was  especially  noticeable  just  as  he  was  entering, 
but  by  the  time  he  had  reached  senior  year  at  Hartford 
something  like  a  taste  for  theology  seemed  to  have  been 
developed.  From  the  first  he  knew  that  he  must  be 
ready  to  give  a  reason  for  the  faith  that  was  in  him  to 
the  inquirers  of  the  mission  field.  He  would  often  speak 
of  the  severe  test  before  every  foreign  missionary, — of  the 
questions  that  would  be  asked,  the  untruths  that  must  be 
detected  and  guarded  against,  the  partial  truths  to  be  used 
as  guide-posts  to  Truth  Himself,  the  tremendous  power 


Theological  Seminary  129 

of  antichrist  so  subtle,  so  smilingly  obstinate,  so  deaden- 
ing, which  must  be  faced  without  and  possibly  within  the 
soul,  and  above  all  the  demand  for  a  message  of  mind  as 
well  as  of  heart.  Such  the  worker  must  be  prepared 
to  meet, — and  that,  too,  with  convictions  born  of  thought 
as  well  as  of  experience.  A  man  must  think  himself 
through  to  the  eternal  verities,  in  order  that,  as  Larry- 
would  say, '  I  can  know  what  I've  got  to  tell,  and  what  I 
haven't.'  So  Larry  religiously  set  to  work  to  think  out 
his  *  theology.'  And  though  he  was  decidedly  conserva- 
tive by  nature,  and  at  first  could  not  conceal  his  distaste 
for  things  critical,  yet  he  took  things  as  they  came  with 
the  result  that  he  broadened  in  his  views  to  a  marked 
degree,  and  developed  (what  was  already  his  heritage)  a 
keen  sense  of  perception  for  the  essentials  as  well  as  the 
non-essentials. 

"  To  my  mind  one  of  his  strongest  points  was  just  this 
conservative  nature.  It  gave  strength  to  his  convictions, 
faithfulness  to  his  faith ;  and  when  joined  with  much 
common  sense,  with  an  homage  to  truth  no  matter  where 
he  found  it,  and  with  an  ever  broadening  outlook  and 
deepening  love,  it  helped  to  make  him  a  steadying  power. 
Problems  that  came  so  near  unsettling  others  more  bril- 
liant if  not  more  profound  hardly  seemed  to  move  him. 
No  man  could  fly  off  in  metaphysical  speculation  who 
ever  used  Larry  as  a  balance-wheel. 

♦'  I  have  said  that  Larry  was  conservative  by  nature. 
But  in  some  respects  he  was  decidedly  radical.  He  dis- 
liked the  old  forms  of  expression.  For  instance,  though 
he  knew  where  he  stood  in  regard  to  the  inspiration  of 
the  Scriptures,  yet  he  would  not  give  them  the  usual 
pulpit  appellation.  '  I  suppose  it's  all  right  to  call  it  the 
"  Word  of  God,"  but  I  hate  old  stereotyped  expressions ; 


130  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

they  don't  mean  anything.  Why  not  say  "  Bible  "  and 
be  done  with  it  ? '  And  again,  when  referring  to  the  per- 
sonaHty  of  Jesus  Christ,  he  said, '  The  old  word  **  divine  " 
is  not  enough.     I  beheve  in  the  deity  of  Christ.' 

"  But  it  was  not  in  the  realm  of  theology,  homiletics, 
Greek  or  Hebrew,  where  we  felt  Larry's  most  telling  in- 
fluence. It  was  in  the  practical  spiritual  Hfe.  His 
'  prayer-Hfe '  was  not  marked  by  long  continued  praying 
upon  his  knees,  so  far  as  I  know.  He  was  not  built  that 
way  any  more  than  Mr.  Moody  was.  Yet  if  any  semi- 
nary man  lived  a  life  of  prayer  I  believe  he  did.  Always 
ready  to  do  his  best  to  *  answer  his  own  prayers,'  he 
nevertheless  leaned  entirely  upon  his  Master  as  the  only 
true  Answerer.  He  was  continually  saying  that  apart 
from  Christ  he  could  do  nothing.  And  with  him  prayer 
was  not  merely  valuable  for  the  good  it  did  himself;  it 
was  objective  as  well  as  subjective.  One  of  his  most 
common  sayings  was  that  we  '  can  do  things  outside  of 
ourselves  by  prayer.'  He  believed  that  being  in  America 
he  could  still  be  working  in  China  or  Turkey  through  a 
<  power  that  can  move  God.*  And  herein  lay  much  of 
his  personal  power  with  us.  It  was  one  of  his  strongest 
convictions  and  one  of  his  most  telling  messages.  We 
needed  men  who  believed  in  prayer  and  who  lived  the 
creed.  The  great  things  that  Larry  actually  accom- 
plished, though  he  himself  felt  how  few  talents  he  pos- 
sessed, were  continually  bearing  witness  to  the  effectual- 
ness  of  a  righteous  man's  fervent — so  fervent — prayer. 

•'  Larry's  most  notable  contribution  to  the  hfe  of  the 
seminary  was  along  the  line  of  missions.  It  was  more 
than  his  hobby  ;  it  was  his  life.  I  used  to  think  that  for 
reasons  of  study  mostly  he  would  rather  have  had  no 
*  missionary  campaign  '  work  on  his  hands ;   but  they 


Theological  Seminary  131 

would  not  let  him  alone.     I  hardly  ever  went  to  his  room 
when  he  was  not  thinking  out  or  writing  some  letter  to 
societies  all  over  the  country,  where  the  Yale  Band  had 
gone  the  year   before.     The   societies    around  Auburn 
were  also  offering  opportunities  too  good  to  lose.     Within 
the  seminary  he  was  always  at  it,  doing  his  level  best  to 
keep  the  missionary  fires  alive.     He  helped  to  brace  up 
the  Volunteer  Band ;  he  pushed  the  study-classes  ;    he 
made  it  a  point  to  talk  with  the  men  about  going  to  the 
front.     Very    few    men    escaped    his    personal    efforts. 
Though  he  never  spoke  to  them,  still  they  were  con- 
scious of  his  burning  desire  to  have  them  face  the  ques- 
tion.    Some  used  to  accuse  him  of  lack  of  tact  and  the 
like  at  college,  but   I  cannot  recall  having  heard  that 
criticism  in  the  seminary.     He  had  learned  better  how 
to  handle  men.     He  was  fast  becoming  a  diplomat  of  no 
mean  calibre.     Besides,  he  had  become  more  sympathetic. 
"  Duty  was  a  big  word  with  Larry,  and  perhaps  some 
men  got  only  glimpses  of  his  moral  side,  but  we  who 
read  him  better  had  reason  to  know  that  he  could  love 
deeply.     Really  I  never  knew  how  affectionate  he  was 
by  nature  till  we  chummed  together  at  Auburn.     He  was 
a  faithful  friend,  too.     He  was  staunch  enough  to  use  the 
knife   of   criticism — sometimes   with   a  blunt  edge  that 
hurt ;  but  better  that  than  none.     His  spirit  was  love,  I 
am  sure.     I  used  to  notice  too  how  unselfish  he  was  and 
how  thoughtful.     He  would  help  old  Francis  [the  semi- 
nary janitor]  shovel  snow  for  a  whole  afternoon,  while 
others  of  us  were  perhaps  taking  some  more  selfish  form 
of  exercise.     If  he  had  a  good  thing  he  liked  to  share 
it,  and  he  often  thought  of  ways  and  times  that  I  never 
dreamed  of.     One  day  he  and  I  were  coming  from  the 
seminary'  apple-orchard  with  our  pockets  full  of  apples 


132  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

and  enjoying  ourselves  immensely.  I  had  a  vague  sense 
of  the  approach  of  a  young  mill-hand,  but  aside  from 
that  I  was  shut  up  in  my  own  little  world.  I  came  to 
myself,  however,  after  the  boy  had  passed,  for  I  caught 
sight  of  an  apple  which  had  been  quietly  pressed  into 
his  hand  while  passing  Larry.  That  little  incident  with 
its  accompanying  silent  rebuke,  its  stimulus,  its  revela- 
tion of  missionary  Larry,  will  long  Hnger  in  my  memory. 
Larry's  soul  goes  marching  on." 

During  the  year  and  a  half  at  Auburn  there  was  much 
to  engage  Lawrence's  attention.  He  was  busy  in  churches 
and  young  people's  societies.  He  also  spoke  at  Syracuse 
University  and  on  two  different  occasions  at  Wells  Col- 
lege. But  he  did  not  allow  this  outside  work  to  interfere 
with  the  purposes  for  which  he  had  come  to  the  semi- 
nary. After  careful  consideration  he  declined  an  invita- 
tion from  Secretary  Baer  of  the  Christian  Endeavour 
Society  to  travel  with  him  during  the  approaching 
summer  in  a  visit  to  the  Pacific  Coast.  The  responsibil- 
ity for  thorough  and  careful  training  was  never  over- 
shadowed. A  talk  with  Secretary  Daniels  of  the  Ameri- 
can Board  "  showed  me  what  a  standard  they  set  and 
made  me  feel  that  I  must  work  like  a  dog  to  be  fit  to  offer 
myself  to  the  Board."  Soon  after  he  wrote  to  a  friend 
already  on  the  foreign  field  commenting  on  lectures  by 
Professor  Knox  of  Union  Seminary  on  Preparation  for 
the  Missionary  Service : 

*'  It  has  shown  me  that  I  must  indeed  be  intel- 
lectually prepared  to  the  highest  possible  extent,  but 
more  than  all  Christ  must  live  in  us  and  we  must  forget 
ourselves,  yes,  lose  ourselves  and  all  our  selfishness  in 


Theological  Seminary  133 

Christ  that  He  may  be  incarnate  in  us  and  that  thus  men 
may  be  won  by  that  irresistible  argument.  As  never  be- 
fore I  realize  the  obstacles  which  you  are  already  facing 
and  the  temptations  which  you  are  already  meeting  and 
the  need  that  we  both  have  of  coming  nearer  and  nearer 
Christ." 

On  New  Year's  night,  1 901,  he  wrote  again: 

♦*  Another  thought  has  been  running  in  my  mind  to- 
day. I  wonder  if  it  will  not  be  my  motto  the  coming 
year,  yes,  the  coming  century,  as  long  as  God  lets  me 
live  in  it.  It  is  Christ's  words, '  I  seek  not  Mine  own 
glory.'  To  some  that  would  mean  no  aim,  no  ambition. 
But  not  to  Christ.  He  sought  His  Father's  glory.  And 
if  we  in  not  seeking  our  own  glory  can  seek  instead 
God's  glory,  we  shall  have  the  highest  aim,  the  highest 
ideal  and  the  noblest  ambition.  It  won't  let  us  relax  our 
efforts.  But  it  will  help  us  to  get  our  thoughts  off  our- 
selves and  our  weaknesses  and  what  men  think  of  us.  It 
will  do  away  with  this  miserable  self-consciousness." 

A  little  incident  which  happened  during  Lawrence's 
last  months  at  Auburn  is  of  value  in  revealing  his  un- 
willingness to  accept  any  standards  in  matters  however 
small  which  did  not  seem  to  measure  up  to  the  standards 
of  Christ.  In  it  he  was  as  uncompromising  as  he  had 
been  towards  the  smokers  in  the  seminary  who  used  to 
appear  on  the  streets  with  their  cigarettes,  setting,  as  he 
believed,  a  wrong  example  before  the  schoolboys  who 
took  their  cues  from  the  college  men. 

"  February  5,  igoi. 
"  I  haven't  told  you,  I  think,  of  my  feeling  about  songs 


134  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

and  the  resultant  storm  of  ridicule.  It  began  last  year 
in  my  mildly  suggesting  that  I  did  not  think  Kipling's 
'  Mandalay '  was  an  appropriate  song  to  sing,  if  we  stopped 
to  think  what  it  meant.  Every  one  laughed  at  me  or 
kept  silent  and  laughter  wasn't  all.  They  asked  me  this 
year  if  I  approved  of '  The  Pope'  and  I  confessed  I  did  not, 
nor  of  any  drinking  songs.     I  was  amused  when  in  a 

very  few  days  Dr. came  out  with  great  emphasis  in 

class  against  just  such  songs  as  inappropriate  for  thought- 
ful Christian  men  to  use.  Now  this  may  all  seem  strange 
to  you.  I  admit  that  the  songs  are  sung  thoughtlessly 
and  only  for  their  jingle  and  liveliness  with  no  great,  if 
any,  harm  to  the  singers.  On  the  other  hand  I  raise  the 
question  if  they  are  appropriate  for  Christlike  men  to  be 
singing.  A  moment's  real  reflection  bars  *  The  Pope '  and 
*  Mandalay ' — however  lively  or  pretty.     Perhaps  I'm  all 

wrong,  though  it's  a  comfort  to  find  a  man  like  Dr. 

who  is  no  pietist  agreeing  with  me.  .  .  .  What  has 
hurt  me  most  is  that  I  have  been  ridiculed  right  and  left 
by  Christian  men  and  I  have  seen  the  meanness  of 
laughing  at  convictions." 

"  April  i6,  igoi, 
"  My  expression  of  my  views  started  very  innocently, 
but  I  was  so  scorned  for  them  that  they  were  constantly 
asking  my  opinion  on  other  songs,  making  it  very  dis- 
agreeable for  me.  ...  I  do  not  mean  to  air  my 
views  when  so  contrary  to  public  opinion  unless  neces- 
sary, but  when  I  do  have  to  I  do  not  intend  to  back 
down.  It  never  occurred  to  me  that  men  couldn't  be 
Christians,  and  devoted  Christians,  and  sing  these  songs 
and  smoke  and  do  other  things,  however  much  I  may 
disapprove." 


Theological  Seminary  135 

It  was  perhaps  the  memory  of  this  battle  for  reality 
against  conventionality  that  called  forth  the  following  ex- 
pression in  a  letter  written  shortly  before  Lawrence  left 
Auburn  for  Hartford  in  March,  1 901. 

"  March  4,  igoi. 
"  As  the  days  are  numbered  for  my  chances  here  I  see 
how  many  I  have  lost  and  I  see  how  weak  has  been  my 
life  here  compared  to  what  it  should  have  been.  I  trust 
I  can  start  in  with  a  clean  page  in  Hartford  and  hve  a 
more  helpful,  normal  life  there.  Pray  that  I  may  learn 
not  to  antagonize  and  may  be  given  strength  for  all  the 
leadership  that  God  shall  ask  of  me  there." 

But  Lawrence's  estimate  of  himself  and  of  the  effect 
of  his  life  on  Auburn  Seminary  was  a  very  wrong  one. 
His  fellow  students  were  better  judges  of  that  than  he. 

"  I  remember  that  at  first  I  thought  of  Larry  as  being 
different  from  the  other  men.  In  his  own  way  he  over- 
flowed with  enthusiasm  for  foreign  missions — so  much  so 
that  he  sometimes  felt  that  the  rest  of  us  were  not  in 
sympathy  with  him.  I  think  of  him  as  I  saw  him  first — 
as  a  little  active  fellow  with  a  contagious  laugh  and  a 
great  big  enthusiasm  for  missions. 

"  And  then  I  think  of  him  as  later  I  came  to  know 
him.  Then  I  saw — and  now  as  I  look  back  I  see — with 
what  faithfulness,  and  struggle  even,  he  sought  to  do  the 
will  of  Christ,  and  how  his  individuality  was  being  trans- 
formed and  made  beautiful  by  the  risen  Christ  life.  That 
is  the  way  in  which  I  think  of  Larry  now — as  one,  whose 
own  peculiar  individuality  with  points  attractive  and  un- 


136  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

attractive,  was  daily  being  fired,  enthused  and  transformed 
by  the  closeness  with  which  he  lived  to  Christ,  and  by  the 
faithfulness  with  which  he  obeyed  what  he  believed  to  be 
the  will  of  Christ  for  him. 

"  How  unselfish  he  was.  I  can't  imagine  his  seeking  a 
high  place  merely  for  self  or  his  trying  to  push  some  one 
else  aside.  It  was  that  spirit  in  him  which  made  him  im- 
patient with  any  of  us  young  ministers  who  he  thought  were 
trying  to  seek  the  best  places  here  at  home.  And  it  was 
that  spirit  I  suppose  which  made  him  willing  to  use  up 
his  life  in  service  for  others.  As  I  knew  him  here  I  can 
understand  that  it  would  have  been  torture  for  him  to  live 
many  years  as  an  invalid — and  to  be  served  instead  of 
serving  others. 

'*  Another  characteristic  of  his  life  was  purity.  It 
showed  in  his  face  and  it  was  the  atmosphere  of  his  con- 
versation. He  had  gained  his  goal  only  through  struggle 
but  he  had  gained  it,  and  we  knowing  him  felt  instinc- 
tively the  spotlessness  of  his  character.  I  am  sure  that 
he  would  be  glad  to  have  others  know  that  there  had  been 
struggles  in  his  life,  if  he  could  feel  that  the  knowledge  of 
his  efforts  would  inspire  them  to  press  on  more  vigor- 
ously towards  the  same  goal  of  spotlessness. 

"  He  had  something  of  the  very  tenderness  of  Christ 
towards  sinners.  He  was  the  kind  of  a  man  to  whom  one 
would  naturally  confess  his  sins.  I  remember  his  telling 
me  one  day  that  he  hoped  that  before  Mr.  Moody  died, he 
would  have  some  confession  to  make  of  sins  he  had  fallen 
into  and  risen  above  and  so  be  a  cause  of  encouragement 
to  real  out-and-out  sinners.  However  Larry  had  no 
patience  with  one  form  of  sin  and  that  was — I  scarcely 
know  what  to  call  it — conceit,  perhaps.  He  said  one  day 
that  there  was  one  kind  of  man  with  whom  he  never 


Theological  Seminary  137 

could  get  along,  and  that  was  the  man  who  felt  himself 
intellectually  or  spiritually  better  than  other  men. 

"  Then  too  Larry  had  learned  somewhere  Christ's  own 
*  push  '  to  save  the  world.  He  said  one  day  that  he  had 
no  country.  He  belonged  to  the  world.  It  was  the 
great  desire  of  his  life  to  have  a  large  part  in  bringing  all 
the  world  to  a  knowledge  of  the  One  who  had  trans- 
formed him.  How  he  could  enthuse  upon  the  subject  of 
foreign  missions  !  But  only  because  he  felt  that  the 
greatest  need  was  in  foreign  lands.  We  visited  the 
George  Junior  Republic  together  and  he  was  just  as  en- 
thusiastic in  speaking  of  the  work  of  bringing  the  boys 
of  the  Republic  to  Christ,  as  he  was  in  speaking  of  the 
work  in  China. 

<'  I  wish  I  knew  how  to  tell  of  his  friendship — but  I  do 
not  know.  All  that  such  a  life  could  bring  to  another,  he 
brought ;  and  it  is  with  great  pleasure  that  one  Auburn 
man  looks  back  upon  long  tramps  and  longer  talks  with 
Larry  after  the  seminary  work-day  was  over." 

"  These  notes  will  be  enough  to  show  how  positive  was 
Larry's  influence  upon  the  seminary.  If  I  may  make 
distinctions,  it  was  spiritual  rather  than  intellectual,  in- 
tensely practical  rather  than  theoretical.  And  the  semi- 
naries must  be  conscious  of  having  felt  the  throbbing  of 
the  life  within  them  in  a  manner  that  will  mean  a  help  to 
them  long  after  Larry's  name  may  be  forgotten.  May 
God  send  more  such." 

His  farewell  to  Auburn  was  on  March  loth,  when  he 
preached  at  Mr.  Hubbard's  church  to  seven  or  eight 
hundred  people  on  missions.  "  I  tried  to  show  them 
three  of  the  great  appeals  that  have  led  so  many  students 


138  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

to  volunteer,  (i)  Christ's  last  command,  or  rather 
request ;  (2)  fairness  considering  our  pagan  ancestry,  and 
(3),  the  spiritual  need  of  the  heathen — the  simple  fact  that 
they  do  not  know  Jesus  Christ.  Then  I  spoke  of  the 
three  ways  they  could  answer  these  appeals,  by  sending 
their  children,  by  prayer  and  by  sacrifice  in  giving,  ending 
by  an  appeal  for  the  costly  service  of  Christ."  At  Albany 
he  renewed  the  acquaintance  he  had  made  the  year  before 
during  the  campaign  of  the  Yale  Band  and  spoke  to  the 
Christian  Endeavour  leaders.  "  The  meeting  with  the 
Young  People  was  almost  the  most  encouraging  I  ever 
held  on  the  second  round,  and  it  showed  me  the  possi- 
bilities in  keeping  the  work  up.  There  were  fully  150 
there  from  all  over  the  city." 

Soon  after  Lawrence  had  enrolled  himself  as  a  student 
at  Hartford,  he  was  taken  into  the  plans  of  the  Yale  China 
Mission,  the  evolution  of  which  and  Lawrence's  part  in  it 
is  told  in  a  following  chapter.  During  the  year  and  a  half 
which  he  remained  at  Hartford  this  new  enterprise  neces- 
sarily occupied  much  of  his  time  and  thought,  yet  his 
friends  stand  amazed  at  the  amount  of  additional  work  he 
carried  to  a  successful  completion.  He  planned  and  con- 
ducted for  a  year  a  campaign  of  education  for  missions 
among  the  Congregational  churches  of  Connecticut.  He 
was  called  to  advise  with  Mr.  Wishard  in  formulating 
plans  for  the  Forward  Movement.  He  taught  to  classes 
of  thirty  to  forty  members  a  course  in  Home  Missions  at 
both  the  seminary  and  at  Rev.  Mr.  Twichell's  church. 
He  organized  the  Hartford  Seminary  delegation  for  the 
Student  Volunteer  Convention  at  Toronto,  and  to  him  as 
its  strong  promoter  the  large  representation  was  due. 
Frequent  calls  for  service  came  to  him  which  he  was  com- 
pelled to  refuse,  and  it  was  a  hard  thing  for  him  to  refuse 


Theological  Seminary  139 

any  opportunity  to  do  good.  "  As  I  face  the  next  four 
months,"  he  wrote  on  one  occasion,  "  I  am  almost 
appalled  at  the  work  there  is  to  do.  Pray  that  I  may  be 
given  strength  for  all  that  God  wishes  and  for  wisdom  to 
give  up  the  rest." 

His  vacations  during  the  years  at  the  seminary  were 
not  without  their  full  share  of  responsibilities.  There 
were  religious  conferences  during  the  early  part  of  the 
summer  where  his  wide  experience  made  his  presence 
desirable,  almost  imperative.  He  taught  his  course  on 
home  missions  in  the  church  of  his  native  town.  He  also 
preached  on  several  occasions. 

"  August  2^,  igoi. 
"  I  preached  my  first  sermon  to-day  (Rockdale)  [Text 
was  Isaiah  50  : 4].  I  don't  really  like  to  read.  It  is  a 
better  plan  for  a  beginner,  but  I  like  to  feel  that  I  am 
talking  directly  to  my  audience.  I  also  earned  my  first 
money." 

"  September  8,  igoi. 
"  Back  from  Saundersville  where  I  spoke  on  missions. 
We  had  a  good  service  and  I  believe  that  God  used  the 
message.  Two  years  ago  I  spoke  there  and  it  seems  to 
have  borne  a  good  deal  of  fruit,  more  than  is  usually 
seen.  But  as  I  told  them,  the  soil  and  the  care  had  as 
much  to  do  with  the  crop  as  the  seed,  and  I  was  sure 
some  one  had  been  using  the  watering  pot  and  the  soil 
had  been  receptive.  I  trust  that  to-day's  seed  may 
receive  as  much  care  and  bear  even  more  fruit.  I  was 
rather  embarrassed  at  their  insisting  on  paying  me,  but 
perhaps  I  should  not  object.  That  makes  the  second  five 
dollars  I  have  earned  this  summer." 


140  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

In  speaking  of  Lawrence's  mental  development  during 
the  seminary  years,  one  of  his  classmates  at  Yale  and  at 
the  theological  seminary  writes  : 

"  I  cannot  forbear  speaking  of  one  quality  in  him 
which  was  greatly  underestimated  by  some.  And  this 
was  his  real  mental  power.  In  the  routine  work  of  col- 
lege he  had  maintained  a  fair  stand  but  nothing  remark- 
able, but  later  on  when  he  got  into  theological  work 
where  original  thought  and  reasoning  powers  were  drawn 
upon,  his  ability  became  more  marked.  His  theology 
was  not  at  all  of  the  conservative  type  which  refuses  to 
advance,  but  he  was  willing  to  listen  to  every  theory  in 
which  some  spark  of  truth  might  be  expected." 

And  during  these  months  of  ceaseless  service  and  of 
deep,  honest  wrestling  with  intellectual  problems,  Law- 
rence found  time  to  ponder  deeply  over  many  personal 
problems.  Extracts  from  his  meditations  and  from  letters 
to  friends  written  mainly  during  the  year  and  a  half  at 
Hartford  fill  in  many  details  w!iich  would  otherwise  be 
lacking  in  the  picture  of  his  theological  and  spiritual  de- 
velopment. 

"  Ja7tuary  ly,  igoi. 
"  How  strange  this  life  !  This  constant  fight  with  sin, 
the  sin  of  our  baser  selves.  Victory  and  joy  some  days. 
Defeat  the  very  next.  I  wonder  if  all  live  such  a  life. 
But  victory  there  is  and  will  be  and  growth,  too,  even 
here.  We  need  not  wait  for  heaven  for  victory.  But 
oh,  the  struggle !  Don't  we  dishonour  Christ  when  we 
struggle  instead  of  letting  Him  do  it  all  ?  I  think  we  do. 
Would  I  might  remember  it  more  than  I  do." 


Theological  Seminary  141 

^'January  12 y  igoi. 

"  I  am  beginning  to  realize  more  and  more  what  a 
small  part  of  our  life  this  earthly  life  is  and  how  much 
more  attractive  is  the  next  life.  This  supplemented  with 
a  study  of '  Love  not  the  world,'  etc.,  has  given  me  an 
insight  into  the  great  reality  of  our  life  all  told.  Once 
let  heaven  become  real  and  one  can  see  less  reason  for 
loving  the  externalities  of  life,  and  the  inspiration  begins 
to  come  to  live  for  the  next  world,  not  this.  .  . 
The  spiritual  life  will  be  free  from  all  this  bodily  load, 
will  be  as  free  as  thought,  and  as  now  our  minds  can 
instantly  travel  from  Auburn  to  Marash  and  vice  versa,  so 
in  the  spiritual  life  we  will  be  as  free  as  the  bird  and  as 
quick  as  thought.  What  a  realm  it  will  open  to  us ! 
And  is  it  too  speculative  to  be  helpful  ?  Couple  with 
that  the  thought  of  complete  freedom  from  sin,  perfect 
likeness  to  Christ  and  perfect  communion  with  Him,  and 
the  Father  and  the  Spirit  and  communion  also  with  all 
who  have  gone  before  and  who  will  come  after,  and  also 
the  ability  to  serve  God  perfectly,  and  you  have  a  con- 
ception of  heaven  which  makes  earth  sink  into  insig- 
nificance, and  we  can  begin  to  see  how  it  would  be  pos- 
sible only  to  exist  till  that  life  is  realized  and  we  are  with 
Christ.  We  can  see  how  if  once  such  a  vision  possessed 
us,  the  earthly  temptations  and  pleasures  would  pale  and 
we  would  long  only  to  take  with  us  into  that  life  as  many 
as  we  could  of  the  people  about  us.  The  whole  thought 
has  been  a  great  inspiration  to  me  not  to  live  for  this 
world." 

"January  28,  igoi. 

"  I  don't  know  any  greater  longing  .  .  .  than  that  we 
should  each  learn  that  lesson  of  the  constant  presence  of 
Christ  in  our  lives." 


142  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

♦'  February  ^,  igoi. 
*'  Our  systematic  theology  is  from  a  book  which  is 
rigid  and  uncompromising  and  Calvinistic,  and  is  taught 

by  Dr. who  believes  most  of  it.     I  decided  I  was 

getting  almost  nothing  and  dropped  it  this  term.  .  .  . 
I  guess  one  is  never  satisfied  with  some  one  else's  sys- 
tematic theology.  You  ask  what  I  mean  by  doubting 
whether  my  type  of  mind  can  ever  get  things  straight- 
ened out.  I  mean  that  I  am  more  apt  to  hold  everything 
in  solution  and  have  no  definite  views,  than  to  take  the 
trouble  to  argue  myself  into  a  position  which  may  be 
knocked  out  of  me  the  next  minute.  I  am  perfectly 
content  with  no  definite  theory  of  the  Atonement,  for 
instance,  which  Bob  H used  to  think  very  strange." 

"  February  26,  igoi, 

"  I  like  's  method  of  going  at  the  subject  of 

criticism.  He  asks  that  we  first  find  out  what  the  Bible 
really  says,  and  often  he  is  thus  able  to  show  us  that  it 
does  not  say  what  we  thought  it  did.  This  method 
solves  many  problems  at  the  start  which  have  cost  much 
ink  and  paper  for  the  critics.     .     .     . 

•'  Your  idea  expresses  what  has  often  im- 
pressed us  with — that  that  which  is  infallible  in  the  Bible 
is  that  which  can  be  transmitted  into  life  and  only  that. 
He  also  calls  it  that  which  can  be  vitally  interpreted,  i.  e.y 
the  truth  which  bears  on  life  and  character  and  conduct 
and  which  we  can  live — that  is  divine  and  infallible. 

"  You  see  I  take  the  whole  prophecy  (Jonah)  as  a  par- 
able, so  it  does  not  seem  wrong  to  wonder  about  the 
words  put  into  the  mouth  of  God.  Perhaps  I'm  wrong 
in  considering  it  a  parable,  but  certainly  many  difficulties 
disappear  on  that  basis." 


Theological  Seminary  143 

•'  May  8,  igoi. 

"  I  may  be  peculiar  in  never  having  had  any  philosoph- 
ical difficulties  about  prayer.  I  doubt  if  I  would  have 
ever  thought  prayer  out  at  all  if  it  had  not  been  for 
others.  The  mere  fact  that  we  are  bidden  pray  and  have 
the  example  of  Christ  Himself  praying  for  others,  has 
always  been  enough  to  set  my  wonderings  aside.  I 
doubt  if  I  could  give  a  philosophical  explanation  of  why 
I  should  pray  for  others.  But  Christ  prayed  for  others 
and  Paul  did,  and  God's  saints  all  through  the  ages  have, 
and  why  should  not  I,  even  though  I  do  not  understand 
why.     .     .     . 

"  But  .  .  .  only  because  we  can  say  '  Thy  will  be 
done,'  do  we  dare  to  pray  at  all.  We  are  to  pray,  and  if 
the  prayer  is  not  right,  God  will  not  answer.  I  should 
not  dare  to  pray  again  if  I  knew  that  my  prayer  would 
be  answered  regardless  of  God's  will.  .  .  .  For  some 
reason  or  other  I  have  always  felt  that  I  must  get  my 
time  for  prayer  in  every  day  either  at  a  regular  time  or 
otherwise  if  necessary,  but  I  must  have  it  anyway.  And 
usually  I  have  felt  as  if  my  day  was  not  begun  until  I 
had  prayed  (that  is  other  than  my  brief  morning,  prayer). 
So  that  if  I  am  crowded  out  of  it  in  the  morning,  it  has 
to  come  in  at  the  first  free  time  regardless.  .  .  . 
Though  having  its  advantages,  my  way  tends  to  the 
mechanical  and  forced.  Really  it  is  a  difficult  question. 
I  know  I  have  never  been  able  to  bring  myself  to  change 
despite  the  disadvantages,  and  yet  I  would  not  say  you 
were  wrong  in  your  plan.  Nor  would  I  advise  you  to 
change.  That  plan  which  fits  one's  make-up  and  attains 
the  end  desired  is  the  one." 

"  May  22,  igoi. 

"  This  morning  I  took  the  thought  of  stewardship  in 


144  ^  -^^^^  With  a  Purpose 

all  things  from  i  Corinthians  4:1,  2.  Stewardship  in 
money,  time,  strength,  opportunities — everything  with 
which  we  are  entrusted.  A  pretty  big  thought  for  fif- 
teen minutes.  I  have  not  been  writing  lately,  because  I 
was  getting  tired  of  it.  In  fact  I  have  been  having  a 
peculiar  time  over  my  devotional  study  and  have  been 
wondering  if  it  would  be  right  to  take  a  devotional  book 
like  the  *  Imitation  of  Christ '  for  a  change.  I  fear  I  am 
a  restless  soul  in  all  these  things  and  demand  variety 
continually." 

*'/une  18,  I  go  I. 
"  What  is  common  sense  ?  I  meant  to  look  it  up  in 
the  Standard  Dictionary  but  can't  now.  A  pretty  hard 
term  to  define.  It  involves  much — good  mental  balance, 
a  sense  of  proportions,  a  sense  of  the  eternal  fitness  of 
things,  and  a  sense  of  propriety,  an  appreciation  of  the 
feehngs  of  others, — in  fact  a  knowledge  of  men,  liberaHty 
towards  their  views,  and  a  great  deal  more,  and  then  it 
isn't  defined.  *  Salt  is  what  makes  potatoes  taste  bad  if 
it  isn't  on  them.'  Common  sense  is  what  makes  people 
dangerous  if  they  haven't  it.  I  think  it  is  more  than 
'  well  balanced,'  but  it  is  hard  to  say  what  more." 

''July  3,  1901. 
"  As  I  came  up  on  the  car  this  morning  I  meditated 
on  the  verse, '  I  have  learned  in  whatsoever  state  I  am 
therein  to  be  content.'  Not  that  I  think  my  state  is  one 
in  which  it  is  any  virtue  to  be  content,  but  the  lesson  was 
helpful,  very.  To  be  content  is  more  than  to  be  uncom- 
plaining. Uncomplaining  is  negative,  passive ;  content 
is  positive,  active.  When  content  we  are  in  a  measure 
satisfied,  completely  peaceful  with  one's  surroundings.  I 
have  thought  of  the  physical  conditions  in  which  we  may 


Theological  Seminary  145 

often  find  ourselves  (on  the  foreign  field)  and  with  which 
we  may  be  content.  The  condition  of  separation  from 
loved  ones  needs  the  same  spirit.  And  there  is  a  deal 
of  plain  selfish  sense  in  such  content,  for  the  contented 
person  is  far  happier  under  given  conditions  than  his 
opposite.  If  these  conditions  can  be  improved,  well  and 
good.     If  they  can't,  content  makes  them  easier  to  bear." 

"  {At  C.  E.  Convention y  Cincin7tati\  July  7,  igoi. 
"  This  morning  I  took  '  I  can  do  all  things  in  Him 
that  strengtheneth  me,'  and  yesterday  the  thought  of  the 
peace  He  promises  us,  the  peace  which  so  filled  Him 
that  He  was  above  all  His  surroundings  and  living  in  a 
spiritual  realm  free  from  petty  worries,  indifferent  to  dis- 
comfort, a  spiritual  pilgrim  and  stranger  in  this  physical 
world.  Oh,  that  I  could  begin  to  express  it  as  it  came 
to  me — that  peace  which  comes  from  otherworldliness 
and  a  consciousness  of  the  Father's  presence  and  the 
greater  reality  of  the  spiritual  over  the  physical." 

"  August  2^y  igoi. 
"  As  to  the  second  coming  of  Christ,  I  must  confess 
that  I  am  tempted  to  feel  that  it  must  be  a  spiritual 
coming,  and  yet  I  cannot  get  around  some  of  the  pas- 
sages which  seem  to  indicate  that  it  will  be  a  visible, 
physical  occurrence.  Therefore,  as  usual,  I  simply  wait 
for  more  light.  As  for  myself,  I  have  no  expectation 
that  I  shall  be  alive  at  His  coming,  if  it  is  to  be  more 
than  spiritual.  And  so  I  do  not  trouble  about  it,  but 
look  with  joy  to  His  coming  to  me  when  He  calls  me  to 
Himself,  and  this  Hfe  of  struggles  and  falls  and  victories  is 
over.  When  I  shall  be  like  Him,  for  I  shall  see  Him  as 
He  is — that  is  the  coming  to  which  I  look  forward." 


146  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

"  September  ^7,  igoi. 

"  You  will  be  interested  to  hear  that  I  am  making  one 
wild  struggle  to  keep  my  desk  in  order,  in  fact  my  whole 
room,  although  I  have  not  got  started  on  all  of  it  because 
I  am  not  quite  settled.  But  I  have  come  to  the  con- 
clusion that  order  is  a  matter  of  character  and  self-disci- 
pline, and  that  the  struggle  to  keep  things  in  order 
strengthens  one's  whole  nature.  It  is  just  as  easy  to 
decide  where  to  put  a  thing  at  first  as  it  is  later; 
and  when  once  put  there  it  is  out  of  the  way  and 
no  further  trouble.  I  find  it  a  constant  test  of 
will-power  to  do  this,  but  I  see  gain  and  great  ad- 
vantage. 

"  Another  motto  I'm  trying  to  adopt  for  good  this 
year  is,  *  Do  it  now.'  There  can  hardly  be  any  better 
way  of  accomplishing  things  than  to  do  them  at  once 
and  have  them  off  your  mind.  I  have  been  wasting  a 
deal  of  energy  in  letting  things  hang  over  me  and  thus 
doing  them  many  times  over  instead  of  holding  myself 
to  the  doing  of  them  at  once.  This  last  is  hard  discipHne 
but  worth  while. 

"  I  am  also  wondering  if  I  should  not  force  myself  to 
improve  the  style  and  diction  in  my  letters.  They  must 
surely  be  an  influence  in  my  training,  and  if  written  in  a 
slovenly  way  with  no  care  as  to  words  or  form,  they  will 
surely  affect  my  English.  The  mere  fact  that  I  may 
spend  my  life  in  a  foreign  country  should  have  no  influ- 
ence. I  may  need  to  teach  English  to  others.  At  least 
I  shall  need  to  write  letters  for  publication  and  be  able  to 
speak  to  audiences  in  English  at  least  once  in  ten  years. 
But  besides  that,  again,  the  self-discipline  is  needed  if 
nothing  more.  All  this  looks  as  if  I  had  entered  a  re- 
form school    Whatever  it  may  be,  I  trust  I  shall  have 


Theological  Seminary  147 

power  to  keep  myself  there  and  be  what  I  aim  to  be — a 
more  efficient  workman." 

"  November  2jy  igoi. 
"  I  smile  at  your  interest  in  theological  problems.  I 
fear  we  differ  there.  For  really  I  have  no  use  for  them. 
Most  of  them  are  mixed  up  with  philosophy  for  which  I 
have  no  use.  The  only  theology  for  which  I  ever  cared 
was  Jimmy  Riggs',  which  lived.  He  taught  vital  the- 
ology with  all  the  wonderful  enthusiasm  of  his  wonderful 
personality  and  that  I  enjoyed.  .  .  .  I  do  not  have 
to  •  dismiss  theological  problems  '  from  my  thoughts,  for 
they  are  rarely  there.  As  a  matter  of  fact  I  sometimes 
suspect  that  I  have  no  views  on  many  points,  that  I  have 
never  thought  many  things  through.  And  somehow  it 
does  not  trouble  me." 

**  December  7,  igoi. 
"  I  wonder  how  it  would  seem  to  spend  a  year  in  just 
study  without  outside  calls  and  duties.  I  have  never 
known  such  a  year  since  early  preparatory  school-days, 
and  then  I  did  not  appreciate  it.  Perhaps  I  was  not 
meant  for  a  student  and  this  activity  is  my  calling.  I 
am  willing,  but  I  do  not  hke  the  feeling  of  the  wretched 
scholarship  which  I  have  exhibited.  Still  I  would  not 
exchange  my  college  course  for  that  of  a  grind  and  a 
Phi  Beta  Kappa  key.  I  would  have  liked  to  have  been  a 
scholar  and  an  executive  as  well.  Perhaps  I  might  have 
been.  I  wonder  if  it  is  possible  now.  I  have  scholarly 
instincts  in  the  embryo  but  am  too  much  in  a  hurry  to 
develop  them.     I  need  a  httle  German  blood." 

"  December  8,  igoi. 
"  I  do  not  look  at  heaven  and  long  to  enter  in  because 


148  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

I'm  weary  of  the  fight.  I'm  perfectly  willing  to  linger 
here  if  I  can  serve  Him  best,  but  oh !  I  would  like  to  be 
Hke  Him.  I'll  gladly  serve  long,  hard  years,  gladly  suffer, 
gladly  die  for  Him,  but  during  those  years  and  during 
that  service  I  would  like  to  be  like  Him.  I  don't  want 
to  have  men  comment  on  (?r  admire  me.  I  don't  want  to 
be  a  bit  better  or  truer  or  nobler  than  any  one  else  or  have 
any  reason  for  thinking  I  am.  But  I  would  like  to  be 
like  Him,  and  that  would  mean  that  I'd  want  every  one 
like  Him,  and  then  there  would  be  no  chance  for  com- 
parison. 

"  The  Psalmist  may  not  have  meant  it,  but  it  is  true,  *  I 
shall  be  satisfied  when  I  awake  in  His  likeness.'  That, 
with  being  with  Him,  will  be  the  supreme  joy  of  heaven. 
But  He  doesn't  want  me  in  heaven  now.  He  wants  me 
here.  Am  I  wrong  in  wanting  to  be  in  His  likeness 
right  here  ?  And  must  I  expect  only  slow  growth  with 
many  setbacks?  I  do  not  know.  I  would  not  com- 
plain. I  would  not  take  my  eyes  off  the  goal  just  be- 
cause it  is  far  off  and  the  way  is  hard.  But  I  would  like 
to  be  at  the  goal  already,  to  be  like  Him.  They  tell  me 
that  character  counts  more  than  words  in  the  foreign 
field.     All  the  more  reason  why  I  should  be  like  Him." 

"  December  /j,  igoi. 
"  My  mind  is  full  of  Biblical  criticism  and  evolution 
and  Negroes.  I'd  rather  have  it  full  of  Negroes  alone. 
I'd  rather  put  it  on  the  practical,  the  real  and  the  evi- 
dently necessary.  I  wonder  if  it  is  wrong  to  be  practical. 
These  other  questions  are  interesting  and  important,  but 
I  get  so  tired  of  them  and  they  seem  so  little  related  to 
the  great  needs  of  the  day.  For  so  many  to  spend  so  much 
time  on  them  seems  almost  like  a  waste  of  human  energy." 


Theological  Seminary  149 

"  December  2g J  igoi. 
"  My  heart  is  very  full  to-night.  God  is  speaking  to 
me  so  these  days.  The  last  three  days  the  central 
thought  has  been  that  spirit  can  only  commune  perfectly 
with  spirit,  and  therefore  it  was  better  that  Christ  go 
away,  for  thus  He  became  spirit  and  could  thus  come 
into  perfect  contact  with  our  spirits.  As  long  as  He 
was  in  the  body  He  laboured  under  the  same  difficulties 
we  do  in  coming  in  touch  with  souls.  The  body  stood 
between.  Now  He,  a  spirit,  can  ignore  our  bodies  and 
come  into  perfect  communion  with  our  spirits,  and  thus 
our  hfe  with  Him  can  be  perfect,  whereas  before,  even 
though  we  might  be  the  favoured  ones  with  whom  He 
was,  it  must  of  necessity  be  imperfect." 

"January  /p,  igo2, 
"  I  am  not  often  tempted  to  form  opinions  until  needed. 
I  do  not  keep  them  in  stock  unless  they  have  been  used 
at  some  time.  ...  I  have  much  the  same  way  of 
treating  theological  questions,  not  caring  enough  to  have 
an  opinion  just  for  the  sake  of  having  one,  but  only  when 
it  can  be  made  to  bear  on  life  and  character.  When  the 
fellows  begin  to  discuss  the  Hypostatic  (?)  union  in 
Christ,  I  take  a  back  seat.  What  is  the  use  of  wasting 
breath  in  discussing  the  insoluble  ?  It  may  be  *  intel- 
lectually suicidal '  on  my  part,  but  I  am  much  more  inter- 
ested in  the  union  of  Christ  and  man  to-day,  than  in 
the  union  of  the  Divine  and  human  in  Christ  when  on 
earth." 

"  February  7,  i()02. 
"  There  is  no  use  in  discussing  how  busy  I  am  and  how 
impossible  is  all  the  work  ahead  of  me.     I  am  at  the  same 


l_jo  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

time  trying  to  learn  Christ's  perfect  peace  and  calm  in  the 
midst  of  thronging  duties.  I  am  becoming  convinced 
that  never  till  heaven  opens  will  there  be  a  time  when 
there  will  not  be  more  to  be  done  than  can  be  done,  and 
why  not  take  it  calmly  and  let  go  undone  that  which  the 
Father  did  not  mean  for  us  to  do.  .  .  .  Oh,  I'm  so 
foolish,  so  foohsh,  as  I  spend  time  and  strength  in  think- 
ing how  busy  I  am.  I  do  it  constantly  and  as  constantly 
fight  against  it. 

"  I  hope  I  do  not  startle  you  when  I  speak  of  heaven 
as  I  do.  Heaven  is  becoming  more  and  more  near  and 
real  to  me  because  it  is  there  I'll  see  Christ.  We'll  see 
Him  face  to  face.  We'll  be  with  Him.  There'll  be  no 
more  sin  to  fight.  We'll  be  like  Him.  And  as  I've 
often  said,  only  my  love  for  you  keeps  me  from  being 
perfectly  wiUing  to  go  any  time.  .  .  .  I  do  not  mean 
that  I  do  not  love  life  and  service  here.  I  only  mean 
that  to  be  with  Christ  will  be  perfect  joy.  Yet  I  pray 
that  if  it  be  His  will  He  may  grant  us  a  long  life  together 
here  in  His  service,  for  only  thus  can  we  take  others  with 
us.     But  His  will  be  done." 

And  as  the  years  of  critical  study  drew  to  an  end,  he 
came  to  realize  intellectually  and  spiritually  that  peace 
which  had  been  his  quest. 

"  May  6,  igo2. 

"  How  to  know  God's  will  ?     .     .     . 

*'  I  use  my  reason.  I  think  that  should  come  first  un- 
less we  are  led  to  set  it  aside.  And  then  comes  prayer 
and  then  what — the  simple  consciousness  of  peace  in 
doing  God's  will,  in   being  in  line  with  His  purposes. 


Theological  Seminary  151 

That  peace,  that  assurance  is  to  me  God's  voice  guiding 
me.  It  sometimes  goes  contrary  to  reason,  or  beyond 
reason.  It  usually  goes  along  the  line  of  reason.  But  I 
never  feel  sure  of  myself  until  I  have  that  peace,  that 
voice  of  God  to  my  soul." 


VI 

The  Island  Camp 


"  Oh,  those  mornings  under  that  old  tent,  the  sun  shining  in  through 
the  east  flap,  the  air  cool  and  the  smell  of  the  out-of-doors  pervading 
everything,  I  guess  I  was  meant  to  live  on  that  island.  But  my  business 
seems  to  hinder.  A  year  ago  to-day  we  were  there  .  .  .  and  what  a 
crowd  we  had.  "We  can  never  get  them  together  again  in  the  dear  old 
place.  Our  furloughs  will  not  match.  But  then  I  would  rather  have  the 
men  out  here,  than  there  waiting  for  me  to  come  home." — Letter  from 
China,  July  12,  igoj. 


VI 

THE  ISLAND  CAMP 

THE  last  two  weeks  of  July  in  the  summer  which 
followed  the  campaign  of  the  Yale  Band,  Law- 
rence spent  camping  near  Whitinsville  with  a 
little  circle  of  his  immediate  friends.  A  part  of  July  in 
each  year  had  been  sacred  to  *'  Camp,"  from  the  time  he 
entered  Worcester  Academy.  It  continued  to  be  so 
without  a  break  until  he  sailed  for  China  in  the  fall  of 
1902.  So  large  a  place  did  these  days  of  rest  come  to 
occupy  in  Lawrence's  own  life  and  in  that  of  his  friends, 
that  no  sketch  of  him  would  be  complete  without  some 
account  of  Johnny's  Island. 

In  the  southwestern  corner  of  the  town  of  Northbridge 
is  the  pond  of  the  Whitin  Machine  Shop.  Its  expanse 
is  larger  than  that  of  most  mill-ponds  of  New  England, 
and,  because  of  the  topography  of  the  region,  it  out- 
ranks many  in  the  beauty  and  naturalness  of  its  sur- 
roundings. At  a  short  distance  above  the  village  a  sharp 
bend  between  groves  of  pine  trees  divides  the  stretch  of 
water  into  an  upper  and  lower  reach.  The  latter  is  in 
sight  of  the  village  of  Whitinsville ;  the  former  is  be- 
yond the  range  of  tenement  houses  and  shops.  Once 
around  Picnic  Point,  the  whirling  wheels  of  the  mill  town 
seem  far  away  and  the  factory  whistle  gives  place  to  the 
gentler  note  of  the  song-bird.  Here  one  may  find  re- 
pose and  enjoyment  in  the  beauty  of  typical  New  Eng- 
land hillsides  and  woods. 

155 


156  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

In  this  upper  portion  of  the  pond  lies  Johnny's  Island. 
Years  ago,  before  the  Whitin  Machine  Company  built  its 
dam  and  flooded  the  back  country  for  miles,  Johnny's 
Island  was  a  small  pasture  knoll  covered  with  pines ;  but 
the  ponds  have  been  in  existence  so  long  that  not  the 
slightest  trace  of  their  artificial  origin  remains.  The 
ancient  trees  still  flourish  on  the  knoll  and  cover  the 
island  with  a  fresh  carpet  of  pine-needles  every  year. 

Here  for  twelve  successive  summers  a  small  party 
assembled  for  recreation  and  rest.  While  the  personnel 
of  the  gatherings  changed  slightly  from  year  to  year  and 
in  a  marked  degree  between  the  earher  and  later  years, 
due  in  a  large  measure  to  various  changes  in  the  Hves  of 
the  members,  Larry  saw  the  beginning  and  the  end  of  the 
camp.  Of  the  earlier  gatherings  in  preparatory  school- 
days little  need  be  said.  The  experiences  on  the  island 
were  such  as  may  be  found  in  the  outdoor  lives  of  many 
boys.  But  as  the  years  of  youth  passed  and  new  faces 
appeared  in  the  group  that  gathered  around  the  camp- 
fire,  something  deeper  and  less  tangible  than  recreation 
experiences  must  be  woven  into  the  story  if  the  truth  be 
fully  told. 

The  camp  was  essentially  of  Larry's  making.  In  its 
earlier  years,  others,  no  doubt,  influenced  the  daily  life 
on  the  island.  Gradually  the  camp  conformed  to  his 
idea.  In  the  later  years  he  was  the  pivotal  force.  Al- 
though it  was  intended  that,  in  so  far  as  it  could  be  made 
so,  the  camp  should  be  communistic,  most  of  the  camp- 
ers were  dependent  on  the  Thurstons  for  special  condi- 
tions of  aid  and  comfort.  The  greater  part  of  the 
equipment  was  kept  during  the  winter  in  Rev.  Mr. 
Thurston's  barn,  and  all  the  campers  received  much  in 
kindnesses  from  the  family,  so  that  no  one  left  the  island 


•THE  ISLANDS  OF  THE  BLEST.'     APl'ROACH  TO  JOHNNYS 

ISLE 


JOHNNYS  ISLAND.     TENTS  AND  CANOES 


The  Island  Camp  157 

without  being  deep  in  the  debt  that  has  no  recompense. 
In  the  late  spring  season,  it  was  from  Lawrence  that  the 
statement  always  came  that  the  campers  might  convene 
on  an  appointed  day.  The  letter  bore  an  enthusiasm  of 
anticipation  and  it  is  to  be  doubted  whether  any  one  who 
had  once  lived  on  the  island  cast  the  consideration  aside 
without  regret.  Then  followed  letter  after  letter  of  plans ; 
and  they  spoke  with  a  spirit  of  eagerness  for  the  day  to 
come,  when  the  campers  should  gather  again ;  they 
chronicled  the  acceptances  and  the  disappointments  and 
rarely  closed  without  some  suggestion  that  the  life  was 
an  extremely  pleasant  one  for  him. 

From  the  first,  Larry  was  always  among  the  hardest 
workers  in  getting  the  pump  placed,  the  ground  cleared, 
the  proper  locations  marked  out  and  the  tents  raised.  It 
was  Larry  who  invariably  figured  the  capacity  of  the 
sleeping  tent  so  as  to  accommodate  just  one  more.  It 
was  Larry  who  knew  the  best  places  in  the  pond  to  catch 
sunfish  or  perch  and  who  was  most  indefatigable  in 
angling  for  them.  Indeed  in  time  the  island  itself  came 
to  be  almost  regarded  as  Larry's  property. 

"  The  camp  in  its  completed  state  was  the  growth  of 
years,"  writes  one  of  those  who  enjoyed  the  privileges  of 
the  island,  "  and  it  may  represent  in  a  rough  way  by  its 
changing  aspect  the  evolution  of  a  boy's  mind  from  the 
thirteenth  to  the  twenty-sixth  year.  It  boasted  no 
single  remarkable  feature.  No  one  could  quite  say  what 
were  the  attractions  that  allured  a  small  company  to  en- 
camp on  an  island  in  a  pond  of  somewhat  narrow  con- 
fines, within  a  stone's  throw  of  a  public  highway  and  not 
distant  from  a  flourishing  manufacturing  village.  To  one 
who  has  lived  in  the  depths  of  the  woods,  the  surround- 


158  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

ings  were  certainly  prosaic.  The  daily  walk  after  the 
milk,  the  call  of  the  baker,  butcher  and  grocer,  the  fre- 
quent excursions  to  the  village,  the  many  visits  from 
friends,  rather  lavish  appointments  and  a  larder  that  was 
not  essentially  primitive ;  all  these  have  caused  many  a 
frequenter  of  wilder  localities  to  doubt  whether  this  set- 
tlement should  be  called  a  camp  or  no.  But  a  camp  es- 
tablished for  any  considerable  season  must  not  neglect  the 
social  side  of  its  life.  And  this  being  the  essence  the 
location  is  secondary.  I  have  been  in  camps  of  ideal 
location — using  the  expression  in  the  popular  sense — and 
have  never  been  enthusiastic  about  remaining ;  but  the 
days  I  spent  on  Johnny's  Island  were  days  that  passed  all 
too  quickly,  they  were  restful  days ;  helpful  days ;  days 
not  spent  in  idleness ;  days  filled  with  the  best  things  in 
life. 

"  Over  my  desk  hang  three  photographs  of  the  island 
home.  A  picture  of  the  kitchen  shows  the  machinery  of 
the  camp,  the  stove,  the  pump,  the  wood-pile  and  the 
*  grub-tent,'  with  five  of  the  campers  as  demonstrators. 
Pans  and  dishes  of  many  shapes  and  sizes  hang  about  on 
the  trees  and  suggest  both  quantity  and  variety.  Larry 
was  proud  of  his  kitchen,  and  he  was  a  master  hand  in 
the  arrangement  and  management  of  this  department. 
It  is  no  easy  task  to  feed  fifteen  people,  and  when  the  ap- 
petite is  whetted  by  a  Hfe  out  of  doors  there  is  an  occa- 
sion for  considerable  labour.  Yet  the  cooking  of  the 
meals  and  the  other  kitchen  work  were  never  burdensome, 
and  many  found  that  there  was,  perhaps,  too  little  to  do. 
Others  essayed  to  assist  in  the  planning,  but  always  the 
oversight  was  Larry's ;  and  had  he  been  a  man  who  took 
responsibility  ungracefully,  the  camp  life  would  have  been 
a  burden  to  him.     There  are  two  things  that  the  writer 


The  Island  Camp  159 

prizes  in  his  camp  memories  :  one  was  fishing  with  Larry, 
and  the  other,  the  labour  with  him  in  the  kitchen.  The 
latter  was  a  task  that  we  both  enjoyed — this  experimental 
work  in  out  of  door  cooking — and  there  never  was  so 
much  of  it  that  the  newness  was  lost.  Here  we  came 
very  close  to  each  other.  Often  in  council  together,  as 
we  sat  side  by  side  on  the  refrigerator  box  in  the  kitchen 
tent,  the  policy  of  the  camp  was  discussed.  And  when, 
as  frequently  happened,  we  strayed  away  from  our 
material  affairs  into  other  considerations,  I  always  felt  that 
here  I  had  before  me  a  man,  cloaked  by  no  conventional- 
ities nor  veneer  of  manner. 

"  A  second  picture  shows  the  campers  about  the  table 
at  the  end  of  the  lunch  hour.  Lunch  was  a  very  informal 
meal,  and  a  bowl  and  spoon  were  the  usual  insignia  of 
the  noonday  gathering.  Around  this  table  in  all  sorts 
of  summer  weather,  the  company  gathered  for  their 
meals.  The  satiating  of  fifteen  hungry  people  was  un- 
dertaken willingly,  and  those  sincerest  compliments  to  a 
cook,  the  eating  and  enjoying  the  food  that  is  prepared, 
were  habitually  paid  to  the  various  chefs.  And  even 
though  the  campers  were  often  designated  as  '  cavities ' 
by  Larry,  it  was  the  love  of  an  unusual  appellation  rather 
than  any  desire  to  check  their  enjoyment  that  made  him 
use  the  term.  In  this  department  as  in  all  others  of  the 
camp,  a  gradual  evolution  went  on  during  the  years.  At 
the  beginning  the  food  was  often  palatable  only  in  the 
imaginations  of  healthy  boys.  A  constant  addition  of 
conveniences  led  us  to  have,  many  times  in  the  last  few 
years,  almost  as  elaborate  a  meal  as  one  would  enjoy  any- 
where. All  this  seems  foreign  to  simplicity  and  does  not 
coincide  with  current  ideas  of  camp  life.  It  may  be  de- 
sirable to  hve  now  and  then  in  quite  primitive  surround- 


i6o  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

ings.  To  be  obliged  to  shift  for  food  may  be  at  times  a 
beneficial  experience.  But  a  camp  that  has  a  record  of  a 
number  of  years  and  is  situated  in  a  country  which  yields 
little  food  in  a  wild  state,  must  not  depend  too  much  on  a 
twelfth  hour  occasion  for  its  food  supply,  or  its  numbers 
will  diminish  and  its  record  end.  There  must  be  a  growth 
in  this  branch  of  the  camp  life  as  in  others.  And  when 
the  whole  story  is  told  it  will  be  found  that  to  establish  a 
camp  for  the  sake  of  camping  was  far  from  Larry's  mind. 
He  often  spoke  of  the  camp  as  a  means  of  having  his 
friends  about  him  for  a  while  and  as  an  opportunity  to 
act  the  host  under  conditions  which  would  tend  to  dis- 
courage formality  and  in  which  the  true  man  would 
stand  revealed. 

*'  A  third  picture  shows  the  tents  and  in  the  foreground 
the  canoes  and  a  diving  board.  The  tents  increased  in 
number  during  years  from  a  single  tent  to  a  village  of  five. 
The  old  straw-filled  sackings  were  replaced  by  cots.  It  is 
all  very  well  to  sleep  on  the  ground  and  in  full  camping 
costume  for  one  or  two  nights,  simply  for  the  sensation, 
but  there  is  in  it  no  boon  of  pleasure  keen  enough  to 
make  one  choose  that  mode  of  resting  for  a  steady  thing. 
In  other  words  the  evolution  was  consistent  with  the  whole 
plan  of  the  camp,  namely,  comfort  and  simplicity.  A 
carpet  on  the  ground  and  cot-beds  may  not  be  considered 
by  many  as  consistent  with  simplicity.  We  must  empha- 
size this  fact  that  no  camp  was  our  model.  The  camp 
was  fashioned  primarily  under  Larry's  direction  with  able 
lieutenants  to  assist  and  advise.  If  sentiment  dictated 
that  a  true  camp  should  not  have  a  carpet,  we  can  only 
answer  that  the  directors  of  the  final  form  of  camp  were 
here  serving  neither  popular  sentiment  nor  commonplace 
ideals. 


< 


The  Island  Camp  l6i 

"  The  canoes  met  many  needs  in  the  daily  life.  Whether 
it  was  to  take  the  entire  party  on  a  day's  outing ;  to  go 
to  town  for  one  reason  or  another ;  to  aid  in  fishing ;  to 
give  exercise,  or  to  serve  as  a  means  of  isolation  whereby 
one  or  two  might  go  to  a  quiet  retreat  for  study  or 
recreation,  they  were  indispensable  for  the  success  of  the 
camp.  It  is  here  that  the  writer  is  reminded  of  his 
strongest  bond  with  Larry,  canoeing  and  fishing  together. 
For  Larry  was  an  enthusiastic  fisherman.  We  would  not 
be  accorded  a  high  place,  perhaps,  among  skillful  sports- 
men, but  all  the  elements  of  enjoyment  were  experienced, 
and  the  rivalry  was  so  spirited  and  at  the  same  time  so 
delicious  that  we  had  more  fun  often  in  losing  a  fish  than 
in  catching  one.  I  can  recall  many  and  many  an  occa- 
sion when  Larry  and  I  spent  most  of  a  day  in  fishing, 
and  the  excitement  only  urged  us  on  to  more.  Towards 
the  end  of  the  school  year,  when  the  open  season  for 
bass  arrived,  I  have  had  an  enthusiastic  note  from  Larry 
asking  me  to  join  him  for  a  day  on  the  pond  before  the 
crowd  came,  and  it  was  a  source  of  considerable  disap- 
pointment to  be  obliged  at  times  to  reply  that  the  thing 
was  impossible.  I  know  that  I  shall  be  considered  a 
suspicious  lover  of  the  sport  when  I  say  that  I  gained  as 
much  pleasure  in  handling  the  paddle  and  watching 
Larry  fish  as  I  did  in  casting  the  line  myself.  This 
would  probably  not  be  true  with  every  person.  Larry's 
enthusiasm  was  contagious,  and  I  rarely  saw  him  express 
so  much  of  pleasure  and  surprise  and  excitement  as  he 
did  when  a  bass  startled  him  by  rising  to  the  frog,  and 
when  after  a  short  struggle,  the  fish  was  safely  landed  in 
the  canoe.  Nor  was  it  easy  to  manage  the  canoe,  for 
my  arms,  no  longer  under  the  mastership  of  the  mind, 
forgot  their  cunning,  so  intense  is  the  feeling  that  hopes 


i62  A  Life   With  a  Purpose 

for  success.  Here,  as  in  the  work  of  the  camp,  I  felt 
myself  in  perfect  tune  with  Larry.  It  was  not  a  part  of 
his  life-work,  from  which  I  felt  myself  in  some  sense  ex- 
cluded. I  always  knew  that  when  I  could  get  him  to  go 
fishing  with  me,  and  he  was  ever  eager  for  the  sport,  that 
I  could  have  him  to  myself  for  a  while,  and  that  the  pur- 
suit of  a  common  pleasure  would  bring  us  very  close  to 
each  other.  It  was  characteristic  of  what  I  saw  of  him 
that  the  same  enthusiasm  that  he  put  into  fishing  was 
visible  in  his  endeavours  in  other  lines.  While  he  was 
fishing,  he  was  a  fisherman.  His  whole  attention  was 
given  to  the  sport,  and  the  work  that  he  had  left  was  be- 
hind him.  I  always  had  the  whole  man  at  such  times 
and  I  do  not  doubt  but  what  that  was  one  reason  why 
his  companionship  was  so  desirable. 

"  Now  and  then  on  a  summer  afternoon  dark  thunder 
heads  were  seen  in  the  west,  and  this  warning  to  prepare 
for  a  blow  and  rain  was  always  attended  with  consider- 
able uncertainty.  The  island  was  exposed  to  the  showers 
and  the  full  force  of  the  blow  was  often  experienced. 
The  tents  must  be  overlooked,  guy  ropes  made  fast, 
the  flaps  closed,  the  materials  about  the  island  collected 
for  protection  from  the  wet,  and  the  boats  and  canoes 
fastened  so  that  they  would  not  lash  each  other  on  the 
wharves.  The  showers  were  probably  not  unlike  the 
showers  of  other  localities,  but  as  we  were  not  protected 
by  unyielding  walls,  and  as  we  lived  on  rather  intimate 
terms  with  them,  the  storms  seemed  to  us  to  be  unusually 
fierce.  From  his  early  youth  Larry  always  recorded  the 
occurrence  of  thunder-storms  in  his  diary,  and  one  of  the 
most  vivid  pieces  of  writing  that  he  did  for  the  school 
paper  at  Worcester  Academy  was  a  description  of  a 
thunder-storm  at  camp.     I  always  thought  that  during 


The  Island  Camp  163 

the  passage  of  these  showers  there  was  a  weight  of  anx- 
iety on  his  mind,  and  this  seemed  to  be  increased  in  the 
latter  years  when  a  number  of  his  sister's  friends  were 
found  among  the  campers.  Nothing  beyond  the  snap- 
ping of  a  rope,  the  blowing  down  of  an  awning,  the  tem- 
porary loss  of  a  canoe  or  the  leakage  of  a  tent  ever 
happened  at  these  times.  With  the  larger  number  of 
campers  the  chances  for  accident  were  greatly  increased, 
however,  and  Larry  seemed  to  feel  that  the  burden  of 
responsibility  was  his.  I  can  recall  no  other  circumstance 
in  the  camp  Hfe  on  the  island  that  demanded,  often,  a 
forced  cheerfulness.  On  the  other  hand,  there  was  a 
sense  of  disappointment  if,  during  our  stay,  no  shower 
came. 

"  One  of  the  great  tests  of  a  camper's  devotion  is  a 
storm  of  two  or  three  days'  duration.  Then  one  tends  to 
reflect  the  cloudiness  and  lack  of  warmth  in  his  own 
nature.  A  single  day  of  rain  may  be  enjoyable  as  a  new 
feature.  If  a  second  day  follows  the  newness  is  lost  and 
the  apathetic  camper  begins  to  lose  his  enthusiasrri.  If, 
perchance,  a  third  day  dawns  with  no  prospect  of  a 
change,  there  must  be  many  attractions  of  companion- 
ship and  love  of  nature  to  override  the  tendency  to  de- 
pression. It  is  a  favourable  commentary  on  the  life  of 
the  camp  on  Johnny's  Island  that  during  the  last  meeting 
there  in  the  summer  of  1902,  ten  consecutive  days  of 
rain  were  passed  and  no  one  deserted  the  island,  or  cared 
to  do  so. 

"  An  island  camp  suggests  recreation,  idle  hours,  relief 
from  many  of  the  uncomfortable  features  of  town  or  city 
life  in  the  summer,  pleasant  companionship  and  nearness 
to  nature.  But  if  a  chronicle  of  the  later  camps  on 
Johnny's  Island  is  truly  written,  into  all  the  pleasant 


164  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

recollections  of  happy  hours  there  must  be  woven  a 
strain  of  seriousness  which  was  a  prophecy  of  a  work  to 
come." 

From  the  time  of  Laurie's  volunteering  in  freshman 
year  the  camp  naturally  included  each  summer  a  larger 
number  of  those  whose  life  interests  were  the  same  as 
his  own.  But  in  spite  of  the  more  prominent  part  which 
the  subject  of  missions  played  in  the  Hvesof  a  majority 
of  these  men,  their  presence  never  made  those  of  the 
party  who  were  not  planning  to  go  as  missionaries  feel 
under  the  slightest  constraint  or  embarrassment.  The 
island  was  not  a  campaigning  ground  for  student  volun- 
teers, nor  was  it  on  the  other  hand  a  place  where  the 
discussion  of  missions  was  tabooed.  How  naturally  the 
deeper  themes  of  Christian  worship  and  sacrifice  blended 
with  the  happy,  unrestrained  life  of  the  camp,  is  very 
apparent  from  the  following  sketches  by  several  of  the 
campers : 

"  During  the  year  I  had  been  invited  to  spend  a  week 
at  the  camp  on  Johnny's  Island  and  accepted.  The 
naturalness  of  religion  was  never  better  illustrated  than 
in  that  camp.  The  week  was  full  of  the  ordinary  de- 
lights of  fishing,  bathing,  sitting  around  the  camp-fire 
every    night    telling    stories,   singing    or    listening    to 

*  Enotch.'  It  seemed  no  more  out  of  place  to  have  him 
sing, '  I'll  go  where  you  want  me  to  go,  dear  Lord,'  than 

*  Bright  College  Years,'  and  the  other  college  songs  which 
we  sang  together.     I  shall  never  forget  the  impression 

made  upon  me  the  first  night.     A B arrived 

just  before  supper  and  was  greeted  in  a  boisterous  manner 
by  the  crowd,  especially  by  the  other  members  of  the 


The  Island  Camp  165 

Band  who  had  not  seen  him  for  a  year.  There  was  a 
laugh  over  some  reminiscences  and  we  were  called  to 
supper  by  the  camp  call.     After  we  were  seated  there 

was  a  hush  and  Lawrence  requested  A B to  ask 

the  blessing.  In  an  instant  we  were  conscious  of  the 
presence  of  an  unseen  guest,  and  to  me  at  least  there  was 
given  a  glimpse  of  what  friendships  could  mean  that  were 
blessed  by  the  Master  Friend." 

"  The  days  succeeded  each  other  quickly  on  the  island. 
Every  morning  we  tumbled  out  of  bed  and  splashed  into 
the  lake  for  a  short  swim.  On  Sundays  this  was  called 
by  courtesy  a  bath,  but  there  was  no  appreciable  differ- 
ence in  the  process.  Then  quiet  settled  down  on  the 
camp,  while  those  who  so  desired  went  off  alone  for  a 
time  of  Bible  study  and  reflection.  In  the  early  hours 
of  the  day  this  peaceful  interval  with  Nature  and  the  God 
of  Nature  was  perhaps  one  of  the  best  of  the  camp  life. 

"  Undoubtedly  the  most  enjoyable  time  of  the  entire 
camp  were  the  hours  after  the  evening  meal  had  been 
cleared  away.  Brewer  and  Dana  Eddy  with  Enoch  Bell 
and  A.  B.  Williams  or  Hi  Bingham  made  a  well  balanced 
quartette,  and  while  one  gently  paddled  the  canoe  the  old 
familiar  college  songs  and  plantation  melodies  rang  out 
across  the  dark  water  in  the  white  moonlight.  To  those 
about  the  blazing  camp-fire  the  music  and  the  peaceful 
silence  were  each  delightful,  and  to  those  in  the  canoe 
the  flickering  blaze  among  the  whispering  pine  trees 
made  a  setting  of  rare  beauty,  with  the  tiny  waves  lap- 
ping the  shores  of  the  island. 

"  And  then  sometimes  we  fell  into  talk  of  an  evening 
— talk  of  our  respective  futures  and  how  we  should  shape 
them.  As  long  as  I  had  known  Larry,  he  had  main- 
tained that  it  was  best  for  the  American  Board  to  send 


i66  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

him  to  North  China.  We  others  had  many  of  us  our 
own  futures  to  work  out  and  the  talk  sometimes  waxed 
big  with  the  theories  of  the  rights  and  duties  of  man — 
college  boy  theories, — if  you  will,  and  not  tested  by  ex- 
perience— but  none  the  less  of  absorbing  interest  to  our- 
selves. But  again  the  talk  dwindled  to  foolish  but  deli- 
cious jokes  or  even  to  doggerel  verse  and  nonsense  until 
it  was  time  to  turn  in.  Then  the  camp-fire  was  extin- 
guished and  the  lantern  put  out  leaving  the  great  moon 
to  watch  alone  on  the  island." 

It  was  in  1901  that  a  suggestion  emanating  from  these 
talks  about  the  camp-fire  led  to  what  was  the  distinctive 
feature  of  the  last  two  camps  on  the  island,  and  what  was 
afterwards  known  to  the  participants  as  the  "  Johnny's 
Island  Summer  School  of  Theology  and  Missions."  A 
good  proportion  of  the  campers  were  engaged  in  theo- 
logical studies,  but  a  majority  of  these  were  still  unde- 
cided in  mind  regarding  many  points  in  the  Christian 
faith.  It  was  agreed  that  all  who  so  desired  should 
gather  about  the  camp-fire  and  that  each  student  of 
theology  should  support  his  own  personal  views  or,  if  he 
had  none,  those  taught  at  his  particular  seminary.  The 
rest  of  the  campers  who  had  not  had  special  theological 
training  were  to  criticise  the  theories  propounded  from 
the  standpoint  of  practical  religion. 

The  first  session  in  190 1  was  largely  informal  and  the 
participants  did  not  arrive  at  any  very  tangible  results ; 
but  the  discussions  had  proved  so  helpful  and  stimulating 
that  for  1902  a  definite  series  of  questions  was  prepared 
covering  with  remarkable  thoroughness  the  problems  of 
theology  and  life.  So  complete  is  the  list  that  it  may  be 
of  interest  if  recorded  here. 


The  Island  Camp  167 

Outline  of  Summer  School  of  Theology  and 
Missions,  Whitinsville,  Mass.,  1902 

1.  The  proper  method  of  formulating  and  verifying  our 

theological  beliefs. 
Is  it  authority,  faith,  reason,  or  what  is  it  ?     What  is 
revelation  ? 

2.  The  nature  and  significance  of  religion. 

What  is  religion?  What  is  the  significance  of  the 
existence  and  character  of  the  various  ethnic  rehg- 
ions  ?  Just  wherein  does  Christianity  differ  from  the 
other  religions  of  the  world  ?  What  should  be  the 
attitude  of  Christianity  towards  them  ? 

3.  The  Bible, 

What  is  the  Bible?  What  is  its  actual  value  to 
theology?  What  is  its  value  to  the  practical  relig- 
ious life  ?  As  what  shall  we  offer  it  to  Chinaman, 
Japanese,  and  Hindu  ? 

4.  God. 

What  is  the  exact  content  of  the  conception  of  God  ? 
What  are  our  grounds  for  such  a  behef  ?  What  is  its 
place  in  practical  religion  ? 

5.  Sin  and  salvation. 

Just  what  is  sin?  What  is  man's  responsibility  in  it? 
What  place  has  it  in  God's  universe  ?  How  is  it  to 
be  overcome  ?  Just  what  is  salvation  ?  How  is  it 
obtained  ? 

6.  Jesus  Christ. 

Just  how  much  do  we  actually  know  about  the  his- 
toric personage  ?  That  is,  the  reliability  of  the  doc- 
uments. How  shall  we  estimate  His  personality, 
morally  and  otherwise  ?  Wherein  has  He  any  final- 
ity ?  What  speculative  opinions  about  Him  shall  we 
hold,  e.g.y  Son  of  God,  preexistence,  present  status? 


i68  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

What  did  He  do  for  rehgion  and  mankind  ?  That 
is,  His  work  as  a  revealer  of  God,  as  making  an 
atonement  for  sin,  as  an  intercessor,  etc. 

7.  The  Holy  Spirit. 

What  is  it  that  is  designated  by  that  term  ?  What 
is  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  ? 

8.  The  Trinity. 

Just  what  is  this  doctrine  ?  What  grounds  are  there 
for  it  ?  What  is  its  value  for  theology  and  for  prac- 
tical, religious  Hfe  ? 

9.  The  Holy  Life. 

What  is  the  difference  between  a  moral  and  religious 
life  ?  What  more  is  necessary  for  a  holy  Christian 
life  ?    How  is  it  promoted  ? 

10.  Prayer. 

Just  what  is  it  ?  What  does  it  accomplish,  subjec- 
tively and  objectively  ?  How  does  it  accomplish 
this? 

1 1 .  The  future  state. 

What  grounds  have  we  for  belief  in  it  ?  How  are 
we  to  conceive  of  it  ?  What  will  be  the  condition 
in  it  of  the  good  and  the  bad  and  of  deceased  infants, 
of  pre-Christian,  non-Christian,  and  Christian  people  ? 

12.  Missions. 

What  are  the  grounds  of  obligation  for  conducting 
missionary  work  ?  Just  what  is  the  aim  of  mission- 
ary work  ?     How  is  it  to  be  accomplished  ? 

13.  Miscellanea. 

Creeds,  sacraments,  etc. 

In  the  little  group  of  disputants  were  men  representing 
Auburn,  Hartford,  Union  and  Yale  Theological  Semi- 
naries.    One  of  the  number  was  still  a  medical  student  at 


The  Island  Camp  169 

Johns  Hopkins ;  a  second  was  fresh  from  a  year's  study 
at  Oxford ;  and  a  third  had  just  received  his  doctor's  de- 
gree in  philosophy  at  Yale.  Two  had  had  practical  con- 
tact with  modern  missions  abroad,  in  India  and  in  Turkey 
respectively ;  and  two  had  served  as  secretaries  in  practi- 
cal Christian  work  at  home,  one  for  the  Student  Volun- 
teer Movement,  the  other  in  a  local  Y.  M.  C.  A. 

The  results  of  this  final  conference  were  much  more 
permanent  than  those  of  the  year  before,  and  it  was  in 
these  informal  discussions  that  Laurie's  friends  saw  him 
at  his  best  intellectually.  In  the  freedom  of  these  even- 
ing talks  the  full  man  was  unconsciously  revealed.  "  All 
the  men  who  used  to  sit  around  that  camp-fire  on  the 
Island  in  Whitinsville,"  writes  one  of  the  campers,  "  will 
agree  that  in  the  discussion  of  our  intellectual  problems 
his  mind  was  one  of  rare  grasp  and  clearness.  It  was 
evidenced  that  he  thought  more  profoundly  and  broadly 
than  he  himself  claimed.  His  position  was  one  of  real 
breadth  and  he  often  surprised  us  by  his  willingness  to 
see  truth  in  the  positions  of  men  that  might  have  been 
supposed  to  be  out  of  all  harmony  with  him."  The  re- 
sults of  the  sessions,  which  were  later  written  out  for  pres- 
ervation in  permanent  form  by  the  participants,  owed 
much  to  Lawrence's  insistence  on  the  validity  as  data  of 
many  facts  that  could  not  be  fully  explained,  and  to  his 
apparent  instinct  for  the  essential  kernel  in  a  mass  of  de- 
tails. 

Precious,  indeed,  to  Lawrence  were  the  memories  of 
Johnny's  Isle.  The  restful  hours  of  upHfting  relaxation, 
the  stimulating  search  after  truth  with  his  college  friends, 
the  tender  revelations  of  their  deeper  friendship  to  him  as 
evinced  in  the  sharing  of  secret  confidences,  were  experi- 
ences which  he  could  never  forget.     But  there  was  yet 


lyo  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

another  reason  why  to  him  the  island  camp  was  ever  as- 
sociated with  all  that  was  most  sacred  in  life.  It  was 
here  in  the  summer  of  1900  that  he  first  became  ac- 
quainted with  his  future  wife. 

At  the  Ecumenical  Conference  of  Foreign  Missions  in 
New  York  City,  in  March,  1900,  Lawrence  had  been 
casually  introduced  to  Miss  Matilda  Calder  of  Hartford, 
a  graduate  of  Mt.  Holyoke  College  and  a  Student  Volun- 
teer. A  year  before  he  had  preached  in  her  home  church 
when  the  Yale  Band  held  its  meetings  in  Hartford,  but 
the  two  did  not  become  acquainted  at  that  time,  although 
Miss  Calder  had  already  known  of  Lawrence  through  his 
sister  Isabel,  who  was  one  of  her  college  friends.  Later 
in  the  spring  of  1900  an  invitation  came  to  Miss  Calder 
and  her  sister  from  Miss  Thurston  to  spend  a  week  in 
July  at  the  camp  on  Johnny's  Isle.  This  was  accepted, 
but  when  Lawrence  welcomed  the  two  young  ladies  on 
the  island,  he  did  not  know  which  of  the  two  sisters  he 
had  met  before,  so  slight  an  impression  had  the  first 
meeting  made  on  him. 

To  the  majority  of  the  campers  the  week  on  the  island 
passed  very  much  like  any  other,  and  on  the  next  Mon- 
day the  young  ladies  left  camp.  Miss  Calder  going  to 
Boston  to  buy  her  outfit  for  Turkey,  to  which  field  she 
had  been  appointed  some  months  before.  On  Tuesday 
the  free  outdoor  life  began  for  the  boys  who  now  had 
full  possession,  and  to  all  outward  appearances  the  camp 
settled  back  into  its  normal  state. 

Shortly  after  this  Lawrence  went  from  camp  to  the 
College  Girls'  Conference  at  Northfield  to  take  charge  of 
the  Missionary  Institute  in  the  Alumnae  Conference. 
Following  the  conference  came  some  weeks  in  Hartford, 
ostensibly  for  the  purpose  of  working  at  the  seminary 


The  Island  Camp  171 

library  upon  a  course  of  study  dealing  with  home  mis- 
sions— and  a  good  beginning  was  made  along  that  line — 
but  more  truly  because  he  wanted  to  settle  a  question  of 
deeper  personal  importance  for  himself  and  one  other. 
Miss  Calder  was  to  sail  for  Turkey  some  time  in  Septem- 
ber. It  was  then  the  last  of  July  and  the  shortness  of  the 
time  justified  expedition  in  the  matter.  Late  in  August 
Larry  announced  his  engagement. 

But  close  upon  this  new  joy  which  had  come  into 
Lawrence's  life,  there  followed  a  severer  and  more  search- 
ing test  of  his  devotion  to  the  work  to  which  he  had  con- 
secrated himself  than  any  which  he  had  hitherto  been 
called  upon  to  face.  Miss  Calder  was  in  honour  bound  to 
go  to  Marash,  Turkey,  to  which  station  she  had  been 
previously  appointed  and  where  the  need  of  a  teacher 
was  most  urgent.  The  test  was  a  hard  one  but  the  two 
met  it  bravely  in  the  spirit  of  their  common  Master.  As 
soon  as  he  realized  the  situation  Lawrence  ceased  to  urge 
Miss  Calder's  staying  at  home,  nor  did  she  even  suggest 
to  the  Board  that  she  be  released  from  her  contract.  On 
September  29  she  sailed  for  Turkey. 

The  world  may  well  have  thought  that  there  was  risk 
involved  in  a  two  years'  separation  after  a  two  months' 
acquaintance.  But  the  love  that  binds  those  who  know 
the  will  of  God  and  do  it,  finds  in  separation  and  sacrifice 
the  most  convincing  proof  of  its  own  reality.  It  is  true 
that  this  separation  cost  Lawrence  many  a  struggle,  as 
every  true  sacrifice  must.  This,  his  letters  written  during 
the  long  months  of  the  absence,  reveal  only  too  truly ; 

"  And  how  the  loneliness  does  increase.  There's  no 
let  up.  There's  no  getting  used  to  it.  I  just  sit  and 
wait,  busy  because  I  can't  help  it,  but  lonely.     I  don't 


172  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

say  come  home  a  week  sooner  than  is  right  for  you  and 
fair  to  the  work,  but  I'll  be  a  different  man  when  you  are 
here  again." 

(On  the  anniversary  of  their  separation.) 

"  Somehow  I  don't  like  to  think  of  a  year  ago  to-night. 
It  brings  up  thoughts  of  separation  and  the  cost  of  that 
separation  is  clearer  now  than  it  was  a  year  ago.  I  am 
thankful  it  was  not  clear  then. 

"  I  think  very  few  have  yours  and  my  views  on  the  sub- 
ject of  marriage.  Love  first,  call  afterwards  is  the  rule 
with  most,  with  even  some  of  the  most  consecrated  men 
I  know.  I  am  relenting  myself  now  that  I  realize  the 
power  of  love,  and  yet  I  do  not  believe  I  could  feel  justi- 
fied in  loving  you  had  you  not  been  able  to  go." 

But  Lawrence  came  to  know  in  the  end  the  deeper 
meaning  of  Jesus'  saying  that  those  who  renounce  for  His 
sake  shall  receive  a  hundredfold  in  this  present  world. 
Miss  Calder  returned  from  Turkey  in  time  to  join  the 
campers  in  their  last  gathering  on  Johnny's  Island  in 
1902,  and  to  participate  with  her  first-hand  knowledge  of 
the  practical  working  of  Christian  missions  in  the  final 
session  of  the  summer  school. 

"  These  two  years  have  been  separation  only  in  body," 
Lawrence  wrote  to  her  in  his  last  letter  before  her  return. 
"  We  have  grown  wonderfully  close  in  spirit.  I  believe 
in  some  ways  we  know  each  other  better  than  we  might 
ever  have  had  they  not  been.  I  wonder,  without  them, 
when  we  would  have  come  to  understand  our  love  and 
the  other's  love  as  we  do  now.  .  .  .  With  an  inti- 
macy which  only  long  separation  could  have  accom- 
plished we  begin  our  life  together." 


The  Island  Camp  173 

Again  he  wrote  from  China,  on  May  I,  1 903: 

"  Any  man  is  to  be  congratulated  who  has  found  the 
woman  who  can  be  the  help  to  him  that  only  a  true 
woman  can.  I  pity  the  man  who  has  not.  I  used  to 
think  that  the  life  of  an  engaged  couple  was  good  enough 

for  any  one.     I  hardly  understood  what  Professor 

meant  when  he  told  me  that  the  joys  of  married  life  far 
surpassed  anything  that  one  knew  before.  But  I  tell  you 
I  understand  now.  It  is  all  very  well  to  be  able  to  write 
and  to  see  one  another  once  in  a  while  and  to  be  able  to 
share  one's  best  with  the  one  person  in  all  the  world  who 
understands  best.  But  it  is  far  better  to  live  morning 
and  night  with  that  one  and  never  to  have  her  away  from 
you  for  any  length  of  time  and  to  be  able  to  share  your 
whole  Hfe  and  all  you  have  with  your  wife." 

The  poet  is  not  mistaken : 

*<Love  is  not  love  save  it  hath  made  us  strong 
To  meet  stern  duties,  that  remorseless  throng 
For  doing.     Men  may  fail,  but  you  and  I 
Should  be  invincible  to  live  or  die ; 
To  wage  firm  battle  against  sin  and  wrong : 
To  wait — that's  hardest,  dear — however  long, 
For  joys  withheld  and  God  to  answer  why, 
To  banish  yearning  hope  if  it  be  vain. 
To  say  good-bye  if  we  must  parted  be. 
Had  we  but  half  loved  then  we  might  complain 
Parting  were  murdered  possibility ; 
But  loving,  oh,  my  love  so  perfectly 
We  are  beyond  the  touch  of  any  pain." 

As  they  lived  the  simple,  care-free  life  of  the  island 
camp,  little  did  the  campers  of  those  days  realize  what 
treasure  houses  they  were  building  and  storing  full  with 


174  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

precious  memories  and  life-long  inspiration,  for  the  years 
to  come.  Some  life  purposes  were  formed,  all  were 
strengthened  by  the  association  of  strong  men  and  women 
there  together.  "  The  pleasant  experiences  of  the  week 
past  were  reviewed  and  reenjoyed  and  put  away  in 
memory,"  the  camp  log  for  1901  closes,  "to  be  brought 
forth  when  dark  days  and  lonely  hours  shall  make  us 
turn  our  thoughts  to  those  joys  of  camping  on  Johnny's 
Isle."  And  when  the  days  of  privilege  were  over  many 
were  the  hearts  that  looked  back  with  longing  for  those 
days.     From  far-off  India,  in  1903,  came  this  message: 

**  How  I  wish  that  it  were  possible  for  us  to  get  together 
and  have  a  real  good  time  as  we  used  to  on  Johnny's 
Island.  Do  you  remember  that  last  night  we  were  on 
the  island  two  years  ago  when  we  just  kept  on  talking  as 
we  sat  around  the  camp-fire,  until  it  died  out  at  about 
one  o'clock  ?  What  times  those  were  !  In  India  I  used 
often  to  go  out  just  before  retiring  and  gaze  on  the  stars 
and  think  of  those  dear  '98  fellows,  remembering  how  we 
used  to  sit  out  around  the  camp-fire.  What  a  rush  of 
memories  it  did  bring." 

"  E and  I  went  up  to  the  island  this  morning  for 

a  swim,"  wrote  another  who  had  gone  back  to  the  island 
as  to  some  sacred  shrine.  "  But  it  looked  unnatural  to 
see  no  tents  there  and  to  have  no  one  commanding  that 
'  wagons '  be  backed  up — no  convict  calling  •  Chuck.' 
Without  these  things  how  can  we  help  a  feeling  of  loneli- 
ness coming  over  us,  as  we  sit  on  the  brown  pine-needles 
and  look  off  across  the  water  ? 

"  But  Larrie,  we  are  out  in  the  heavy  seas  of  life  now 
and  it's  a  joy  to  be  doing  men's  work.      You  must  feel  it. 


The  Island  Camp  175 

You  have  a  big  proposition  on  and  you  need  every  re- 
source now  to  keep  the  canoe  from  filling.  It  makes  a 
fellow  exult  a  little  in  his  strength  sometimes  when  he 
guides  the  boat  through  some  especially  threatening 
water,  and  feels  the  shock  of  the  seas  but  keeps  his  cargo 
safe.     May  it  always  be  so." 

"  Neither  Tillie  nor  I  find  it  very  safe  to  think  much 
about  camp,"  Lawrence  himself  wrote  from  China  to  a 
friend  the  summer  after  he  left  America.  "  Dear  old 
place !  I  hope  you  get  some  good  fish.  Cheer  up ! 
We  may  have  another  camp ;  and  out  here  we  can  have 
them  all  the  time  for  we  shall  at  least  be  together." 

"  Another  camp  !  "  These  were  his  parting  words  to 
us  as  he  bade  us  good-bye  on  Johnny's  Island  in  the 
summer  of  1902.  Down  the  long  vista  of  the  seven 
years  that  lay  before  him  and  his  first  furlough,  inspiring 
him  to  perform  well  the  work  which  lay  ahead  that  he 
might  be  entitled  to  his  rest,  just  as  the  thought  of 
previous  camps  had  inspired  him  through  many  a  year 
of  hard  and  faithful  toil  in  his  preparatory  years,  lay  the 
vision  of  yet  another  camp, — a  vision  of  friends  again 
united  after  seven  years  of  service  and  development — 
confiding  to  one  another  around  the  camp-fire  the  ex- 
periences of  those  years.  The  seven  years  are  not  yet 
gone  and  two  of  the  campers  of  Johnny's  Isle,  one  its 
leader  and  genius,  have  already  finished  their  appointed 
tasks  and  quietly  slipped  away  to  make  ready  another 
camp.  Somewhere  in  the  Islands  of  the  Blest  it  lies — 
just  where  we  do  not  yet  know — with  the  fragrance  of 
God's  love  and  the  music  of  His  out-of-doors  pervading 
everything.     But  of  one  thing  we  are  sure.     In  the  circle 


1^6  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

which  has  gathered  there,  as  on  a  certain  occasion  in 
days  of  old  when  the  disciples  gathered  about  the  dying 
coals  on  the  shore  of  the  Galilean  Sea,  there  sits  One 
whose  presence  Lawrence  felt  but  whom,  though  he 
longed  to  do  so,  he  never  saw,  during  those  nights  when 
the  heart  of  man  was  so  near  to  the  heart  of  God,  around 
the  camp-fire  of  Johnny's  Isle. 


VII 

The  Yale  Mission  to  China — Lawrence's 
Appointment 


"  Wanted  :  A  Volunteer  Band  to  take  possession  of  some  district  in 
China  or  India  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  just  as  such  bands  have 
laboured  in  the  formation  of  Christian  States  in  Illinois,  Iowa,  Dakota 
and  Washington.  The  first  members  of  this  band  should  begin  work 
under  the  supervision  of  experienced  missionaries.  They  should  be  re- 
inforced from  year  to  year  by  fresh  recruits.  Men  should  be  trained  with 
reference  to  this  special  work  and  its  needs.  Men  of  the  same  institution 
at  home  should  more  and  more  assume  the  support  of  the  whole  field 
until  it  becomes  like  the  Universities'  Mission  in  Africa  and  India.  One 
of  the  greatest  secrets  of  success  is  thorough  compatibility  and  hearty 
friendship  among  coworkers.  A  large  degree  of  this  might  be  expected 
in   such  a   mission." — Dr,  Lawrence,  "  Modern  Missions  in  the  East,^ 

/.  253' 


^ 


VII 

THE  YALE  MISSION  TO  CHINA— LAWRENCE'S 
APPOINTMENT 

FOR  reasons  which  have  been  already  stated  Law- 
rence had  decided  to  take  the  final  part  of  his 
theological  course  at  Hartford  Seminary.  This 
decision  was  hastened  and  confirmed  in  part  by  the  urgent 
letter  from  one  of  his  old  '98  classmates  then  at  Hartford, 
who  wrote  early  in  1901  that  he  had  something  to  tell 
him  which  might  alter  his  whole  future  plan  of  life-work, 
especially  as  to  field.  How  prophetic  the  next  few  months 
proved  this  to  be  ! 

About  the  middle  of  the  Easter  vacation,  therefore, 
Lawrence  came  to  Hartford,  his  curiosity  naturally  piqued 
to  the  full.  When  the  plans  for  a  proposed  Yale  Mission 
to  China  were  unfolded  to  him,  the  possibilities  in  the 
project  either  for  good  or  for  harm  to  the  mission  cause 
naturally  made  him  at  first  conservative,  especially  as  to 
his  own  relations  thereto.  When,  however,  after  not  a 
little  thought  and  prayer  he  did  decide  to  cast  in  his  lot 
with  the  rest,  he  threw  himself  into  the  further  develop- 
ments with  characteristic  enthusiasm. 

But  we  must  turn  aside  for  a  brief  glance  at  the  genesis 
of  the  Yale  Mission  idea,  an  outline  of  the  inception  and 
early  development  of  which  has  been  kindly  furnished  by 
one  of  Lawrence's  intimate  friends. 

"  Under  the  ministrations  of  Messrs.  John  R.  Mott  and 
Robert  E.  Speer,  the  winter  of  1899- 1900  at  Yale,  wit- 

179 


i8o  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

nessed  one  of  the  most  far-reaching  religious  awakenings 
ever  known  in  the  history  of  the  University.  A  natural 
result  of  this  deepening  of  spiritual  life  was  a  more  vital 
interest  in  active  Christian  work  of  all  forms,  especially 
missions.  Many  of  the  strongest  men  seriously  faced  the 
question  of  personal  service  on  the  foreign  field.  Through 
the  decisions  resulting  therefrom  the  Volunteer  Band, 
which  had  been  greatly  depleted  after  the  graduation  of 
the  '98  group,  was  increased  during  the  year  from  five  to 
over  twenty  members, — the  largest  number  reached  at 
Yale  since  Pitkin's  original  band  in  the  early  nineties. 

"  The  great  Ecumenical  Conference  on  ForeignMissions 
held  in  New  York  that  spring  was  not  without  its  inspi- 
ration for  the  little  group  of  Yale  seniors  who  attended  its 
sessions.  On  the  train  the  old  wish  that  some  of  them 
might  work  together  under  a  common  board  was  now  re- 
vived. The  idea  was  strengthened  at  the  Northfield  Col- 
lege Students'  Conference  in  June.  The  Boxer  outbreak 
was  then  in  full  blast,  and  with  such  notable  speakers  as  Dr. 
John  G.  Paton  of  the  New  Hebrides,  Dr.  Chamberlain,  of 
India,  and  Dr.  Ashmore,  of  China,  missionary  interest  was 
at  white  heat.  Before  the  end  of  the  conference  several 
Yale  men  who  could  not  themselves  go  to  the  field,  came 
to  one  or  another  of  their  classmates  in  the  Band  and 
spontaneously  offered  to  stand  back  of  them  later  finan- 
cially. 

"  If  anything  further  were  needed  to  inspire  the  little 
knot  of  Yale  graduates  who  were  providentially  led  to 
take  their  theological  training  at  Hartford  Seminary  that 
fall,  it  was  furnished  in  the  heroic  death  of  Horace  Tracy 
Pitkin,  '92,  Yale's  first  missionary  martyr  in  Pao-Ting-Fu 
at  the  hands  of  the  Boxers.  At  least  one  of  the  group 
had  reached  the  determination  that  Pitkin's  life  should 


The  Yale  Mission  to  China  181 

not  have  been  spent  in  vain,  and  that  Yale  must  see  to  it 
that  something  be  done  worthy  of  the  situation.  After 
the  men  returned  from  Christmas  recess,  therefore,  at  the 
very  opening  of  the  new  century,  is  it  any  wonder  that 
when  the  suggestion  was  made  that  now  at  last  some 
practical  plan  should  be  worked  out  whereby  they  might 
be  together  on  the  field,  the  rest  gave  their  hearty  ap- 
proval and  set  to  with  a  will?  While  recently  reading 
*  Pilkington  of  Uganda,'  one  of  the  number  had  asked 
himself  why  a  band  of  Yale  graduates  should  not  open 
up  a  hke  work,  possibly  under  the  American  Board,  in 
another  section  of  Africa  as  yet  untouched. 

'*  On  further  consultation,  however,  and  after  much 
prayer  it  seemed  that  China  as  a  field  would  offer  the 
largest  opportunity  and  would  appeal  most  strongly  to 
Yale  men.  Two  basal  principles  appeared  pretty  clearly 
established, — first,  that  such  a  group  of  close  personal 
friends  could  do  their  best  work  together ;  and  second 
that  their  classmates  could  probably  be  depended  upon  to 
stand  for  their  financial  support.  The  difficulties  in  the 
way  were  not  ignored,  and  it  was  decided  to  consult  such 
missionary  specialists  as  Mr.  Harlan  P.  Beach,  Mr.  John 
R.  Mott  and  Mr.  Robert  E.  Speer  before  trying  to  pro- 
ceed further. 

"  Their  first  opportunity  was  fortunately  not  long  de- 
layed. On  February  10,  1901,  two  of  the  group  pre- 
sented the  plan  in  rough  to  Mr.  Robert  E.  Speer,  secre- 
tary of  the  Presbyterian  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  while 
he  was  stopping  at  Yale  as  the  college  preacher.  The 
result  of  this  first  interview  was  highly  encouraging.  Mr. 
Speer  expressed  his  great  interest  in  the  plan,  but  be- 
cause of  historic  associations,  he  advised  them  to  consult 
the  American  Board  first.     And  in  case  that  organization 


i82  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

did  not  care  to  consider  it,  he  told  them  to  come  to  the 
Presbyterian  Board.  Two  weeks  later  Rev.  Harlan  P. 
Beach,  educational  secretary  of  the  Students'  Volunteer 
Movement,  himself  a  Yale  man  as  well  as  a  corporate 
member  of  the  American  Board,  was  interviewed  during 
his  lectures  at  Hartford  Seminary.  He  also  heartily  ap- 
proved the  enterprise  and  assured  the  young  men  that  if 
they  could  establish  the  permanency  of  Yale's  financial 
backing,  no  board  could  afford  to  refuse  the  plans.  Dr. 
James  L.  Barton,  foreign  secretary  of  the  American 
Board,  who  was  next  consulted,  wrote  as  follows : 

**  *  The  more  I  have  thought  over  the  plan  which  you 
have  briefly  outlined  to  me  on  Friday  morning,  the  more 
it  seems  to  me  to  be  feasible  and  practicable,  providing 
the  backing  at  Yale  is  sufficient.  Also  it  seems  to  me 
that  the  suggestion  of  China  is  one  that  will  command 
the  hearty  cooperation  of  all  the  officers  of  the  American 
Board,  its  committees  and  the  wide  pubHc* 

"  Four  days  later  he  wrote  again : 

"  *  It  is  important  that  so  far  as  you  go  you  carry  every- 
thing before  you.  .  .  .  Your  plan  is  very  attractive 
and  is  worthy  of  every  effort  to  make  it  a  success.' 

"  Furthermore,  Dr.  Barton  kindly  offered  to  arrange  for 
an  interview  with  President  Capen,  of  the  American 
Board,  for  the  Easter  vacation.  Much  encouraged,  there- 
fore, by  the  success  thus  far  attained,  the  group  at  Hart- 
ford now  applied  themselves  with  redoubled  energy  to 
the  working  out  of  their  plans  more  fully  and  carefully. 
At  this  stage  the  illness  of  one  of  their  number,  which 
seemed  at  first  a  most  unfortunate  event,  soon  proved,  on 


The  Yale  Mission  to  China  183 

the  contrary,  to  be  another  providential  happening,  in 
that  it  gave  time  which  could  not  otherwise  have  been 
spared  from  regular  work,  to  think  out  the  development 
of  the  whole  plan  to  its  logical  conclusions  from  various 
standpoints.  The  literature  of  the  subject  was  gone  over 
carefully  under  Mr.  Beach's  direction.  It  was  found  that 
for  such  a  venture  there  was  no  lack  of  precedent. 
Movements  by  individual  colleges  in  England  like  the 
Universities'  Mission  to  Africa,  the  Oxford  and  Cam- 
bridge Missions  to  Calcutta  and  Delhi,  the  Mission  of  the 
Cambridge  Band  to  China ;  and  in  America,  that  of  the 
Oberlin  Band,  to  Shansi,  China,  showed  both  the  possi- 
bilities and  dangers  of  such  a  plan.  Dr.  Lawrence's 
authoritative  book,  *  Modern  Missions  in  the  East/  was 
found  most  valuable  and  suggestive ;  and,  as  being  the 
best  scientific  treatment  of  the  assured  results  of  mission- 
ary practice,  it  was  thereafter  frequently  consulted  with  a 
view  to  making  this  new  enterprise  come  as  near  to  the 
ideal  in  principle  as  possible.  It  was  realized,  further- 
more, that  great  as  was  the  direct  opportunity  of  such  an 
undertaking,  no  less  valuable  would  be  its  reflex  influences. 
In  fact,  one  of  the  ultimate  purposes  of  the  Mission  was 
thus  early  stated  by  one  of  its  projectors  : 

"  *  Its  object  is  to  arouse  to  a  burning  point  a  vital  inter- 
est in  missions,  and  to  sustain  that  interest  not  only  at 
Yale  but  in  other  colleges  and  churches  and  young 
people's  organizations.  This  is  the  whole  or  chief 
"  raison  d'etre  "  and  in  its  far  reaching  results  it  should 
outweigh  all  possible  objections.' 

"  The  whole  plan  as  thus  far  developed  was  then  reduced 
to  concrete  form  in  writing,  which  notes  formed  the  basis 
for  further  developments.     The  next  step  was  the  Easter 


184  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

interview  with  President  Capen.  How  heartily  he  wel- 
comed the  whole  proposition,  is  shown  from  the  following 
extract  from  his  letter  written  soon  afterwards  : 

" '  I  was  greatly  pleased  at  the  thoroughness  with  which 
you  have  laid  out  your  plan.  If  you  succeed  in  getting 
the  college  authorities  interested  in  this  along  the  plan 
proposed,  it  will  be  one  of  the  best  things  ever  done  by 
any  group  of  young  men.  It  will  be  an  object-lesson  for 
student  bodies  the  world  over.  I  shall  pray  that  you  may 
have  great  success/ 

"  The  thorough  feasibility  of  the  plan  from  the  mission- 
ary standpoint  having  been  satisfactorily  established,  it 
remained  now  to  approach  the  Yale  authorities  as  to  what 
share  the  University  would  have  in  the  matter.  It  was 
at  this  point  that  Lawrence  Thurston  joined  the  group  at 
Hartford,  and  the  whole  matter  was  gone  over  fully  with 
him.  The  change  of  plans  involved  for  his  own  future 
was  so  radical  that  he  naturally  hesitated  and  held  back 
at  first.  But  when  he  fully  made  up  his  mind  to  it,  he 
entered  in  with  heart  and  soul.  He  sometimes  remarked 
afterwards  that  he  used  the  pronoun  *  we '  just  as  if  he 
had  been  in  it  from  the  start ;  but  he  was,  nevertheless,  a 
great  help  in  carrying  through  the  plans  the  rest  of  the 
way,  especially  at  the  Yale  end ;  though,  of  course,  his 
greatest  contribution  came  later  as  pioneer  missionary  in 
China. 

"  It  remains  only  to  be  said  that  the  whole  matter  from 
the  outset  to  its  present-day  developments  has  been  so 
clearly  under  God's  guidance,  that  all  the  men  connected 
therewith  feel  simply  that  they  have  been  but  instruments 
in  His  hands." 


The  Yale  Mission  to  China  185 

The  projectors  of  the  Yale  Mission  had  thus  aheady 
been  assured  of  the  soundness  of  their  plan  by  eminent 
missionary  specialists,  when  Lawrence  arrived  from  Au- 
burn. Reinforced  by  him  they  now  took  up  the  Yale 
side  of  the  problem.  On  April  loth,  Rev.  Anson  Phelps 
Stokes,  Jr.,  Secretary  of  the  Yale  University  Corporation, 
was  interviewed  at  his  home  in  New  Haven  and  his 
hearty  approval  was  secured.  Dean  Sanders  of  the  Yale 
Divinity  School,  Dean  Wright,  Dr.  Cooper  of  the  Cor- 
poration, and  Prof.  T.  Wells  Williams,  son  of  the  gifted 
Chinese  specialist,  and  himself  an  authority  on  Modern 
Asiatic  History,  were  seen  and  also  gave  general  sanc- 
tion to  the  scheme  as  outhned.  When  President  Hadley 
was  consulted,  he  not  only  approved,  but  also  laid  down 
certain  fundamental  principles  to  be  followed  from  the 
Yale  standpoint,  especially  with  reference  to  the  older 
Yale  missionary  to  lead  the  enterprise  and  to  its  financial 
backing  and  organization  in  America.  Lawrence  wrote 
of  the  plans  to  his  father  and  received  his  enthusiastic 
approval. 

In  the  midst  of  the  favourable  reception  of  the  idea  on 
all  sides,  which  had  been  even  greater  than  had  been 
anticipated,  came  a  cablegram  from  Rev.  Robert  A. 
Hume,  D.  D.,  Yale  '68,  in  India,  inviting  the  proposed 
Yale  Mission  to  locate  there.     It  read  as  follows : 

"  Mahableshwar,  June  75,  igoi. 
"  Marathi  Mission  invites  Yale  Band!' 

This  invitation,  reinforced  by  letters  which  followed, 
was  carefully  considered,  but  finally  dechned  chiefly  be- 
cause of  the  exceptionally  strong  claims  of  China's  great 
awakening,  the  blood  of  Horace   Pitkin  crying  out  with 


l86  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

a  mighty  appeal  to  Yale  men.  There  was  a  feeling,  too, 
that  England  was  peculiarly  responsible  for  India,  but  it 
must  be  said  that  President  Hadley  personally  favoured 
starting  the  mission  in  India  under  Dr.  Hume's  super- 
vision, unless  Mr.  Beach  could  be  secured  to  oversee  the 
work  in  China.  During  commencement  week  of  1901, 
several  conferences  were  held  of  those  interested  in  the 
Mission,  and  a  provisional  committee,  consisting  of  Dean 
Wright,  chairman;  Dean  Sanders,  Professor  WiUiams, 
Dr.  Cooper,  Mr.  Stokes,  Mr.  Beach,  A.  C.  WiUiams,  and 
Lawrence  as  secretary,  was  appointed  to  control  the 
work  of  the  next  year.  The  unanimity  of  these  first 
meetings  was  remarkable  ;  Lawrence  wrote  on  June  26th  : 

"  Mr.  Beach  said  to  them  [the  preHminary  committee], 
*  Why,  Oxford  professors  don't  care  anything  about  the 
Oxford  Mission,  but  here  are  some  of  the  leading  men 
in  the  University  back  of  this  heart  and  soul.'  Really  it 
does  promise  wonderfully  and  it  would  seem  to  be  one 
of  the  most  striking  missionary  advances  in  years.  I 
feel  like  a  perfect  child  before  it  all  and  cannot  see  why 
I  am  in  it." 

At  Northfield,  during  the  Students'  Conference,  Mr. 
John  R.  Mott  and  Dr.  Howard  Taylor  of  the  China  In- 
land Mission  were  consulted,  and  back  of  Betsy  Moody's 
cottage  under  the  little  plum  tree  which  Mr.  Beach  de- 
clared would  some  day  be  famous,  the  initial  draft  of  the 
constitution  was  drawn  up. 

There  were  serious  problems  confronting  the  founders 
of  the  Mission  which  for  some  time  remained  unsolved. 
Several  arose  at  once  from  its  undenominational  charac- 
ter.    This  latter  was  regarded  as  essential  in  view  of  the 


The  Yale  Mission  to  China  187 

nature  of  the  organization  at  the  home  end.  Closely 
allied  to  this  was  the  problem  of  the  relation  of  the  new 
organization  to  the  American  Board.  To  remain  inde- 
pendent and  at  the  same  time  avoid  all  semblance  of 
rivalry,  to  appeal  for  support  to  Yale  alumni  and  at  the 
same  time  to  divert  no  gifts  which  would  otherwise  have 
gone  to  the  Board,  required  careful  immediate  plans  as 
well  as  clear  vision  of  possible  future  complications. 

Lawrence's  letters  during  the  late  spring  and  early  sum- 
mer of  1 90 1  furnish  an  interesting  commentary  on  the 
growth  of  the  Yale  Mission  idea  and  disclose  the  way  in 
which  it  had  taken  hold  of  him. 

"  April  ly,  igoi. 
"  Really  I  have  not  the  remotest  idea  whether  the  plan 
will  go  through  or  not.  It  is  so  immense  that  I  can't 
seem  to  see  my  way  through  to  the  end  and  feel  that  it 
can  and  therefore  must  be  done.  Once  I  feel  that  way 
and  my  whole  soul  is  in  it." 

"  April  28,  igoi, 
"  I  am  going  to  write  of  the  Yale  Mission  plan  to  papa 
to-day  and  see  how  it  strikes  him.  I  am  coming  to  the 
conclusion  that  we  must  push  it  now  for  all  it  is  worth 
and  see  what  can  be  done.  There  are  very  serious 
obstacles  in  the  way  and  I  am  apt  to  be  able  to  see  as 
many  as  most ;  and  yet  obstacles  are  not  necessarily  meant 
to  stop  us  but  to  test  us.  If  it  can  be  carried  through,  it 
will  certainly  be  one  of  the  finest  things  for  missions 
ever  accomplished.  But  the  task  is  so  great  that  I  shrink 
instinctively  from  it.  I  know  you  are  praying  for  it  and 
we  here  must  begin  to  meet  to  pray  over  the  matter. 
Nothing  is  impossible  with  God  and  if  it  is  His  will  it 
will  be  accomplished  in  some  way." 


l88  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

"  May  22.  igor, 
"  I  do  want  to  go  where  I  can  be  of  the  most  use,  and 
the  more  I  think  of  it  the  more  it  seems  as  if  I  were  built 
for  organization  and  management  and  not  for  education. 
But  wherever  I  am  they  will  probably  use  me  where  I  fit 
best." 

**/une  i^,  igoi. 
"  Oh,  I  do  hope  that  you  and  I  can  go  and  be  in  it  at 
the  start.     If  I'm  not  the  man,  I'm  willing  to  stay  out, 
but  I  would  not  be  human  if  I  did  not  long  to  go." 

"June  i6,  I  go  I. 
May  God  guide  us  in  every  step,  for  I  feel  as  if  we 
were  building  for  the  century  and  for  His  kingdom. 
Oh,  I  feel  so  insignificant  before  it  all,  so  helpless,  and 
sometimes  as  if  I  were  being  swept  along  in  a  mighty 
current.  Of  course,  Roger  is  the  main  wheel  among  us 
boys  and  I  am  really  only  an  addendum." 

"  August  7^,  igoi. 
"  I  only  pray  that  we  may  not  depend  upon  human 
power  and  influence,  tempted  as  we  shall  be  by  Yale  and 
Yale  power." 

It  was  first  planned  to  launch  the  new  movement  at 
the  bicentennial  celebration  of  the  founding  of  the  col- 
lege in  October,  1901,  but  some  complications  with 
reference  to  the  relationship  of  the  new  mission  to  the 
American  Board  and  the  growing  conviction  that  men's 
minds  would  be  too  much  distracted  at  such  a  time  to 
admit  of  the  proper  consideration,  influenced  the  com- 
mittee to  defer  the  public  announcement  until  the  fol- 


The  Yale  Mission  to  China  189 

lowing  commencement.  A  conference  with  Secretary- 
Smith  and  President  Capen,  at  the  meeting  of  the  Amer- 
ican Board  at  Hartford  in  the  fall  of  1901,  followed  by  a 
meeting  of  the  Board's  committee  with  the  Yale  com- 
mittee in  New  Haven,  resulted  in  a  satisfactory  adjust- 
ment of  the  relationship  between  the  two  bodies.  As 
there  contracted,  the  Yale  Mission  •*  affirms  its  earnest 
desire  to  labour  in  harmony  with  the  Board,"  elects  the 
president  and  two  members  of  the  Board  as  members  of 
its  council,  and  sends  to  it  a  copy  of  its  yearly  report. 
On  its  part  the  American  Board : 

"  I.  Gives  its  hearty  support  to  the  Yale  Mission, 
recognizing  it  as  an  undenominational  missionary  move- 
ment, independent  of  any  existing  Board,  but  acknowl- 
edging a  connection  with  the  American  Board  as  pro- 
vided above. 

"2.  Places  at  the  disposal  of  the  Yale  Mission  its 
agencies  for  the  purchase  and  distribution  of  missionary 
supphes  and  the  forwarding  of  funds. 

"  3.  Will  give  to  the  Yale  Mission,  in  case  of  an  im- 
portant difficulty  arising  with  native  governments  or  peo- 
ple, the  same  moral  support  and  good  offices  with  the 
home  government,  if  necessary,  as  would  be  brought  to 
bear  in  the  case  of  one  of  its  own  missions  under  similar 
circumstances." 

Before  the  Society  had  become  definitely  organized  or 
its  exact  location  in  China  decided  upon,  it  became  ap- 
parent that  Lawrence  Thurston  would  in  all  probability 
be  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the  new  organization.  Of  the 
men  then  under  consideration  he  alone  could  complete 
his  preparation  by  the  time  it  would  be  necessary  to  send 
out  the  first  missionaries.     In  the  face  of  this  responsi- 


190  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

bility  which  was   apparently  soon  to  be  his,  he  often 
questioned  his  own  fitness  to  so  great  an  undertaking. 

"  September  22^  igoi. 
**  I  wonder  often  if  they  are  not  mistaken  in  thinking 
me  of  any  use,  for  I  see  so  many  places  where  I  need 
discipline ;  where  I  must  improve  or  I'll  not  be  efficient. 
A  life  time  isn't  enough.  Oh,  that  Christ  might  fill  me 
and  really  make  me  my  best  in  everything.  He  can 
have  all  the  glory.  I  do  not  seek  that  but  only  to  be  an 
efficient  workman." 

The  bicentennial  came  and  went  with  no  public  notice 
of  the  new  movement,  but  to  Lawrence  the  gathering 
was  a  mighty  stimulus  in  what  it  revealed  to  him  of  the 
deep  and  hidden  spiritual  forces  in  Yale  fife  and  of  the 
earnest  purpose  of  its  teachers  and  graduates.  As  he 
passed  the  hours  of  the  celebration,  he  must  often  have 
thrilled  with  the  thought  that  he  was  soon  to  represent 
this  powerful  assemblage  in  a  mighty  continent  and  that 
in  their  support  he  could  completely  trust.  **  Never 
did  I  realize  what  Yale  was  and  meant  as  I  did  this 
week,"  he  wrote  on  his  return.  Again  he  says,  "  But 
all  the  way  through,  even  in  fun,  there  was  a  great  under- 
current of  soberness  and  reverence.  The  spiritual  pre- 
dominated and  one  went  away  with  the  feeling  that  there 
is  in  all  men  an  essential  spirit  of  reverence  for  God  and 
acknowledgment  of  His  right  over  our  lives.  It  was  all 
one  great  sermon." 

The  thought  of  the  danger  which  the  pioneer  service 
might  bring,  above  all  to  Miss  Calder,  accentuated  some- 
what by  the  disquieting  news  from  Turkey  of  Miss 
Stone's  capture,  was  often  in  his  mind  during  the  fall  and 


The  Yale  Mission  to  China  191 

winter,  as  will  appear  from  the  following  extracts  from 
his  correspondence. 

^^fuiie  JO,  I  go  I. 
"  For  myself,  though  not  naturally  brave,  I  do  not 
think  I  fear  death.  I  know  I  do  not.  It  is  those  I  love 
alone  that  make  it  hard  to  face  danger.  Especially  do 
I  shrink  from  bringing  you  into  personal  danger  and  of 
risking  my  own  Ufe  knowing  how  you  love  me.  To  die 
is  as  nothing,  but  to  endanger  you  or  to  leave  you,  that 
is  what  would  cost.  .  .  .  And  yet  not  even  our  love 
for  each  other  would  for  a  moment  hinder  us  from  going 
where  Christ  calls  us.  We  are  His  in  a  far  higher  sense 
than  we  are  each  other's.  And  if  He  calls  us  to  lay 
down  our  hves  for  Him  before  we  have  served  Him 
many  years,  we  are  ready." 

"  December  2,  igoi. 
"  We  cannot  know  what  the  next  months  will  bring 
forth,  and  our  dreams  of  home  life  may  be  only  for  the 
distant  future.  From  being  missionaries  of  the  third 
generation,  we  have  suddenly  become  pioneers,  but 
what  a  privilege  we  have !  It  will  be  much  harder  at 
first  but  in  the  end  we  will  thank  God  for  the  privilege 
(of  being  in  the  Yale  Mission)." 

"  December  ^,  igoi. 
"  I  love  to  think  that  He  is  guiding  even  our  little 
lives,  that  there  is  a  reason  for  your  experience  in  Turkey 
and  that,  if  He  sends  us  to  China  in  the  Yale  Mission, 
it  is  His  plan  and  His  way  and  that,  even  if  He  should  take 
us  to  Himself  early  in  our  work  there,  that  still  His 
would  be  the  plan  and  we  should  be  doing  His  will. 
When  we  yield  ourselves  to  Him  thus,  we  do  not  mind 


192  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

whether  His  plan  be  called  predestination  or  not,  for  it  is 
the  plan  of  a  loving  Father  whom  we  would  rather  trust 
than  try  to  guide  our  own  way.  That  is  my  theology  or 
an  illustration  of  it." 

"  December  /p,  igoi. 
"  There  is  but  one  more  step  I  must  take.  I  have 
mentioned  it  before.  It  is  to  be  ready  as  before  to  face 
danger  and  death,  knowing  that  He  leads  and  protects 
just  as  much  now  as  ever  and  that,  if  He  takes  me.  He 
does  it  in  love  and  will  care  for  you  and  keep  you  until 
He  brings  you  to  me.  But  this  lesson  I  have  not  yet 
learned  and  I  do  not  face  dangerous  service  with  the 
abandon  of  old,  for  I  think  of  you.  Again,  I  am  a 
coward,  when  I  think  of  your  being  taken  before  me. 
The  thought  flashed  over  me  to-day  and  it  was  like  a 
horror  of  great  darkness.  ...  I  only  pray  that  He 
will  spare  us  both  to  each  other  for  many  years  of 
service  together." 

Late  in  December,  Lawrence  underwent  the  usual 
physical  examination  for  missionary  service.  The  doctor 
found  him  sound  in  every  way  except  for  his  nerves. 
He  advised  seriously  a  less  exhilarating  climate  than 
China  and  gave  his  hearty  approval  of  Turkey,  where 
Miss  Calder  was  at  the  time  located. 

To  a  man  made  of  different  stuff  than  Lawrence,  this 
opinion  of  the  examining  physician  would  have  served  as 
an  excellent  excuse  to  escape,  at  the  eleventh  hour,  the 
responsibility  of  the  unknown  pioneer  work  in  which 
he  was  about  to  embark.  Miss  Calder  was  already 
settled  in  her  work  and  had  made  good  progress  with 
the  language.  With  the  utmost  frankness  he  placed  the 
proposition  before  her. 


The  Yale  Mission  to  China  193 

"  December  21^  igoi. 

"  My  physicial  exam,  passed.  Sound  save  for  nerves. 
Those  are  the  only  things  to  be  guarded.  That  passes 
me  and  settles  the  question  humanly  speaking.  I 
think  we  may  be  profoundly  thankful.  Dr.  Berry, 
formerly  of  Japan,  examined  me.  He  is  one  of  the 
regular  Board  examiners,  and  so  knows  his  business. 
He  said  my  chest  expansion  was  tremendous  for  a  man 
of  my  size — four  inches.  My  heart  and  lungs  are  both 
sound.  His  only  fear  is  my  nerves.  He  says  I  must 
cultivate  calmness,  even  indifference,  and  avoid  the  super- 
lative in  everything.  Of  course,  I  have  known  this,  but  I 
must  now  do  as  a  business  what  I  have  done  spasmodic- 
ally. 

"  I  told  him  about  the  Yale  Mission.  He  sees  the 
fascination  in  it  and  seems  to  believe  in  it.  But  he  says  I 
would  probably  last  longer  in  Turkey,  in  a  less  respon- 
sible work.      I  spoke  of and  he  said  it  would  be 

the  best  kind  of  a  place  for  me.  ...  I  have  realized 
all  along  that  this  Yale  Mission  was  the  most  expensive 
place  where  I  could  put  my  life.  He  says  the  climate 
of  North  China  is  bracing  and  nerves  you  constantly  to 
your  best — a  poor  climate  for  me.  But,  dearest,  it  is  you 
who  must  pay  the  price  of  my  going  to  China.  For  it 
would  be  you  who  would  be  left,  if  the  Yale  Mission  cost 
me  ten  years  of  life.  Apart  from  you,  I'd  have  no  ques- 
tion, I  think,  as  to  my  decision  for  North  China.  But 
as  I  wrote  the  other  day,  leaving  you  alone  was  harder 
than  mere  death,  many,  many  times  harder.  I  wish  you 
would  be  very,  very  frank  and  tell  me  if  you  would  rather 
have  me  go  to  Turkey.  I  know  just  what  you'll  say, 
though  !  All  this  question  is  not  new  to  me.  I  have 
known  it  all  along.     If  the  Yale  Mission  does  not  need 


194  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

me,  perhaps  it  is  my  duty  to  go  to  Turkey.      At  present 
it  would  look  as  if  it  did  need  me. 

"  But  there  is  another  side  to  this  question.  We 
reckon  without  God  when  we  talk  about  nerves  and  for- 
get the  peace.  Where  does  that  peace  promised  by 
Christ  come  in  ?  Where  does  God's  power  come  in  ?  If  I 
do  all  in  my  power  to  conquer  my  nerves  and  am  called 
to  a  hard  field  and  work,  may  I  not  look  to  God  to  do 
the  rest  and  enable  me  to  stand  the  strain  involved? 
.  .  .  I  see  no  reason  why  we  may  not  win  out  in  this 
matter.  I  am  going  to  begin  systematically  on  it  both 
in  prayer  and  in  pains." 

A  month  later,  before  he  had  received  her  reply,  he 
wrote  again : 

^^  January  ^o,  igo2. 
*'  I  hope  you  realize  fully  what  the  Yale  Mission 
promises  to  cost  us.  I  would  not  for  the  world  have  you 
blind  to  all  that  it  may  mean.  What  hurts  most  is  that 
the  cost  threatens  to  come  largely  on  you.  Life  seems 
so  different  with  you  in  the  reckoning.  It  is  harder  to 
think  of  sacrifice,  for  even  my  own  personal  sacrifice 
costs  you." 

From  Miss  Calder  in  reply  came  the  following  letter : 

"  But  even  if  it  did  mean  that  going  to  China  meant 
a  shorter  time  of  work  for  you  and  separation  from  you 
for  me,  I  could  not  say  stay.  If  it  is  God's  will  that  we 
work  in  Turkey,  then  we  will :  but  not  just  for  my  sake.  I 
would  not,  could  not,  ask  you  to  give  up  China,  where 
God  seems  to  be  caUing  you. 

"  I  thought  of  a  bit  of  Marcus  Dod's  on  Christ's 
words,  *  Are  there  not  twelve  hours  in   the   day?'     I 


The  Yale  Mission  to  China  195 

was  very  much  impressed  with  the  thought  when  I  read 
it,  and  it  is  apropos  of  the  question  we  are  discussing. 
*  A  man's  knowledge  of  a  duty,  or  God's  will,  is  the 
only  true  light  he  has  to  guide  him  in  his  life ;  that 
duty  God  has  already  measured,  to  each  man  his  twelve 
hours ;  and  only  by  following  duty  into  all  hazards  and 
confusion  can  you  live  out  your  full  term ;  if,  on  the 
other  hand,  you  try  to  extend  your  term,  you  find  that 
the  sun  of  duty  has  set  for  you,  and  you  have  no  power 
to  bring  hght  on  your  path.  A  man  may  preserve  his 
life  on  earth  for  a  year  or  two  more  by  declining 
dangerous  duty,  but  his  day  is  done,  he  is  henceforth 
only  stumbling  about  in  the  outer  cold  and  darkness, 
and  had  far  better  gone  home  to  God  and  been  quietly 
asleep,  far  better  have  acknowledged  that  his  day  was 
done  and  his  night  come,  and  not  have  striven  to  wake 
and  work  on.'  The  quotation  came  to  my  mind  when 
I  realized  I  might  be  a  temptation  to  you  in  just  such  a 
way.  I  pray  God  I  may  never  let  myself  be,  that  I  may 
be  strong  when  you  need  me  to  be  strong." 

Lawrence's  part  as  one  of  the  pioneer  missionaries 
was  thus  definitely  settled  by  his  appointment  on  June 
6,  1902.  With  the  first  member  of  the  staff  thus  secured 
and  with  ^17,000  raised  for  the  inception  of  the  under- 
taking, public  announcement  was  made  by  President 
Hadley  in  his  annual  report  at  commencement,  1902,  as 
follows  : 

"  An  example  of  organized  outside  influence,  not  offi- 
cially connected  with  the  University,  but  bearing  its  name 
and  stimulated  by  its  spirit,  is  the  Yale  Mission  which  is 
soon  to  begin  work  in  China.     Independent  in  its  man- 


196  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

agement  and  undenominational  in  its  work,  it  aims  to 
furnish  a  center  of  Christian  education  in  the  interior  of 
the  Chinese  Empire,  and  to  use  all  the  various  means  avail- 
able for  that  end.  We  have  reason  to  hope  that  we  can 
make  use  of  the  experience  gained  by  the  Oxford  and 
Cambridge  University  Missions  to  come  in  contact  with 
the  intellectual  life  of  the  Chinese  people  more  fully  than 
has  hitherto  been  possible,  and  thus  give  to  the  Chinese 
workers  at  Yale  the  inspiration  which  comes  from  the 
opening  of  a  new  and  wide  field  of  successful  effort." 

The  sane  and  thoroughly  practical  plans  received  the 
hearty  approval  of  both  the  Yale  community  and  of 
many  who  were  outside.  The  scheme  of  organization  at 
the  home  end,  with  an  executive  committee  not  officially 
related  to  the  University  but  composed  of  its  most  repre- 
sentative leaders  among  the  faculty,  corporation  and 
graduates,  eliminated  the  danger  of  the  selection  of  unfit 
men  for  the  Society's  representatives  on  the  field.  Can- 
didates could  be  carefully  watched  and  tested  both  dur- 
ing their  undergraduate  years  and  later  on  in  their  ad- 
vanced study  in  the  graduate  schools  ; — for  it  was  re- 
quired that  each  missionary  of  the  Society  must  have  re- 
ceived two  degrees.  Furthermore,  the  certainty  of  re- 
ceiving the  active  assistance  and  counsel  of  Rev.  Harlan 
P.  Beach,  M.  A.,  Yale  '78,  and  one  of  the  foremost 
specialists  on  missions  in  the  world,  greatly  decreased  the 
danger  of  mistakes  in  policy.  Two  editorial  comments 
will  suffice  to  show  how  enthusiastic  was  the  reception  of 
the  new  idea. 

"  The  establishment  by  Yale  men  of  a  mission  in  North 
China  whose  work  shall  be  according  to  the  broadest 


The  Yale  Mission  to  China  197 

spirit  of  modern  missions  and  entirely  undenominational, 
is  a  very  unusual  development  of  the  year.  Such  a  work, 
undertaken  voluntarily  by  Yale  men,  shows  the  real 
strength  of  the  religious  life  at  Yale.  That  Hfe  is  indeed 
so  strong  that  it  is  considered  subject  to  criticism  only  in 
the  evidence  of  its  power.  The  only  reason  any  people 
ever  sneer  and  talk  with  a  sagacious  cynicism  about  re- 
ligious activities  of  Yale  is  because  those  activities  are 
conducted  by  the  really  best  men  in  college,  and  because 
the  best  and  strongest  men,  being  constantly  in  the  pub- 
lic eye,  are  subject  to  criticism ;  and  because  further,  they 
are  now  and  then  weakly  imitated  by  some  insincere  per- 
son whose  hypocrisy  is  charged  against  the  whole  organ- 
ization. 

"  But  it  would  take  a  long  stretch  of  the  most  bitter 
antagonism  to  religious  influence  to  find  any  ulterior 
motive  in  the  establishment  of  a  mission  in  North  China. 
That  would  be  impossible  were  the  men  of  Yale,  who 
are  most  identified  with  its  religious  life,  not  actuated 
by  a  spirit  not  only  genuine  but  often  heroically  strong. 
Pitkin  was  an  unusually  noble  example  but  he  was  at  the 
same  time  a  fair  type  of  a  class  of  Yale  men  of  consid- 
erable numbers. 

"  As  to  what  effect  this  estabHshment  of  this  unde- 
nominational mission  will  have  in  developing  the  non- 
sectarian  spirit  in  all  mission  work,  is  a  subject  which 
would  carry  one  a  little  too  far  in  the  future.     .     .     . 

"  The  standard  of  the  Society  will  be  of  the  highest. 
It  is  the  emphatic  determination  of  the  council  to  take 
no  left-overs  for  its  service  and  to  accept  only  those  with 
a  professional  training.  No  mere  A.  B.  degree  will 
satisfy  the  requirements  of  the  Yale  Missionary  Society. 
Some   Yale   history   is  to  be  made  by  these   men.     It 


198  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

will  be  of  a  kind  to  make  Yale  men  prouder  than  ever 
of  their  brotherhood." — Editorial  comment  of  the  Yale 
Alumni   Weekly. 

**  This  is  the  Yale  way,  and  is  full  of  the  Yale  spirit. 
It  is  practice  first,  to  find  out  what  can  be  done  with  the 
material  to  be  treated ;  and  then  it  is  theory,  as  derived 
from  the  actual  knowledge  gained  by  experience.  It  has 
a  big  ideal  ahead,  but  it  takes  good  care  to  keep  on  the 
ground  while  moving  towards  the  ideal.  It  is  as  the  un- 
known writer  in  the  Vale   Weekly  says : — 

"  *  When  we  of  modern  Yale  sing  "  For  God,  for 
country  and  for  Yale,"  we  put  God  first.' 

"  Yes,  and  that  is  right,  but  the  country  and  Yale  and 
in  this  case  the  Chinese,  stand  close  by  the  side  of  God. 
The  true  Yale  man  never  forgets  that  he  must  work 
towards  the  invisible  through  the  visible ;  and  that  is  the 
way  the  work  of  these  Yale  men  promises  to  make  the 
Chinese  better  and  happier.  The  little  but  select  Yale 
crowd  in  China  will  be  like  an  intellectual  and  evangel- 
ical football  team,  always  playing  fair  but  bound  to  win 
the  great  game." — Editorial  comment  of  the  Hartford 
Daily  Courant . 

By  the  middle  of  August  it  became  apparent  that  no 
properly  qualified  associate  could  be  found  to  accompany 
Lawrence  and  his  wife  and  that  to  these  two  alone  would 
be  largely  entrusted  the  policy  of  the  Yale  Mission  on 
the  field  during  its  first  year.  Yet  the  two  did  not 
falter.  A  little  booklet,  Hubbard's  "A  Message  to 
Garcia,"  had  fallen  into  Lawrence's  hands  some  time 
before  and  had  greatly  impressed  him.  In  the  spirit  of 
its  hero  he  now  prepared  to  take  his  com.mission  and  go 
quietly  when  the  time  should  come. 


The  Yale  Mission  to  China  199 

On  September  loth  he  married  Miss  Calder  at  the  lat- 
ter's  home  in  Hartford.  Two  weeks  later  (September 
25th)  he  was  ordained  to  the  gospel  ministry,  at  his 
father's  church  in  Whitinsville,  Rev.  Judson  Smith,  of  the 
American  Board,  dehvering  the  sermon.  Rev.  John  R. 
Thurston,  the  ordaining  prayer,  Rev.  H.  P.  Beach,  the 
charge,  and  Rev.  Enoch  F.  Bell,  his  classmate  at  Yale 
and  at  Auburn,  giving  the  right  hand  of  fellowship. 

It  had  been  planned  that  Lawrence  and  his  wife  should 
sail  for  China  in  October  and  this  gave  an  opportunity 
for  a  farewell  address  at  Yale,  inasmuch  as  college  was 
just  opening.  On  the  first  Sunday  afternoon  of  the  term, 
friends  both  of  the  Mission  and  of  its  first  pioneer  mis- 
sionaries filled  to  its  utmost  capacity  the  old  '98  room  in 
Dwight  Hall  to  listen  to  Lawrence's  parting  words. 
After  a  simple  service  of  Scripture  and  prayer  he  spoke 
as  follows : 

"  We  can  perhaps  do  no  better  this  afternoon  than  to 
consider  briefly  two  things  ;  what  you  may  expect  of  the 
Yale  Mission  in  China,  and  what  it  expects  from  you  here 
in  America. 

"  Although  there  is  a  possibility,  and  even  a  probabil- 
ity, of  more  than  one  missionary  being  sent  this  fall,  we 
will  assume  for  the  sake  of  definiteness  that  but  one  goes, 
to  be  followed  next  fall  by  two  or  three  others,  and  in 
two  years  by  Mr.  Beach,  who  will  lead  the  Mission. 

"  Starting  to-morrow  and  reaching  Peking  in  about  six 
weeks,  we  shall  spend  the  first  winter  in  the  study  of  the 
language  and  of  the  people.  For  if  we  are  to  help  China 
we  must  do  so  by  becoming  Chinese  to  the  Chinese, 
learning  their  language,  their  customs,  their  ways  of 
thinking,  even  though  this  may  take  years  of  patient 


200  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

study.  Much  time  must  also  be  spent  in  the  investiga- 
tion of  missionary  methods.  The  Yale  Mission  does 
not  go  to  teach  the  older  missionaries  how  to  do  their 
work.  It  goes  to  sit  at  their  feet  and  learn  from  them 
the  methods  developed  by  years  of  experience.  Should 
it  modify  or  improve  them,  it  will  be  only  because  com- 
parison of  the  work  of  many  suggests  the  change.  We 
go  to  establish  a  Mission  on  scientific  lines,  the  science 
developed  by  a  century  of  missionary  activity. 

"  This  coming  winter  we  must  also  study  the  question 
of  the  permanent  location  of  the  Mission.  Three  places 
are  now  under  consideration.  The  one  chosen  may  be 
none  of  these ;  but  of  this  we  can  be  sure  that  the  central 
station  will  be  in  a  provincial  capital  which  is  a  student 
center,  and  that  capital  will  be  in  such  a  locality  as  to  make 
it  a  strategic  center  of  Christian  influence  in  the  new 
China. 

"  Next  fall  we  look  for  two  or  three  additional  men, 
one  of  whom  shall  be  a  physician,  and  the  fall  following 
for  Mr.  Beach.  As  soon  as  advisable  after  his  arrival 
steps  will  be  taken  towards  the  foundation  of  our  per- 
manent central  station.  From  this  we  shall  work  out  into 
surrounding  cities  and  towns,  establishing  sub-stations. 
In  this  group  of  stations  our  aim  will  be  to  found  a  fully 
equipped  Christian  Mission.  It  will  include  secondary 
schools,  a  college  and  a  theological  seminary.  From  these 
students  will  come  the  native  teachers,  to  whom  we  shall 
look  for  the  greater  part  of  preaching  the  gospel  to  their 
own  people.  Medical  work  will  also  have  a  prominent 
place  in  the  Mission,  and  hospitals — perhaps  even  a 
medical  school — will  be  established.  Another  department 
to  be  developed  according  to  future  needs  and  oppor- 
tunities will  be  work  for  the  hterati,  the  educated  men  of 


The  Yale  Mission  to  China  201 

China,  who  are  the  real  rulers  of  the  nation.  This  Hne  of 
effort  will  be  carried  on  in  entire  sympathy  with  the  needs 
of  new  China,  and  will  occupy  the  best  part  of  a  man's 
time,  with  a  possibility  of  its  so  developing  as  to  call  for 
more  than  one  man's  energies. 

"  To  summarize  :  Yale's  representatives  in  China  will 
endeavour  to  establish  a  fully  equipped  mission  of  such 
strength  and  upon  such  scientific  principles  that  it  shall 
have  its  part  in  the  uplift  of  the  Chinese  race  and  in  the 
bringing  in  of  the  kingdom  of  God  in  China. 

"  To  Yale  men  we  look  for  support  in  this  work — a 
support  which  will  mean,  first  of  all,  the  sending  to  us  of 
the  men  we  need  for  the  development  of  the  Mission  to 
its  highest  efficiency — men  thoroughly  trained  in  their 
professions.  When  we  ask  for  teachers  we  want  men 
trained  to  teach,  and  when  we  ask  for  physicians  or 
ministers  we  want  the  very  best  obtainable.  And  yet  we 
do  not  ask  you  to  send  us  men,  however  proficient,  who 
do  not  go  to  China  from  the  highest  missionary  motives. 
We  do  not  want  men  who  come  merely  because  of  the 
great  opportunity  for  surgery,  but  men  who  yet  seek  to 
heal  for  the  love  of  Jesus  Christ.  We  want  the  highest 
efficiency,  but  it  must  be  coupled  with  the  missionary 
spirit. 

"  We  look  to  you  also,  for  a  support  which  will  mean 
the  supply  of  all  the  funds  necessary  for  the  proper 
development  of  the  work.  The  world  has  yet  to  see 
what  God  can  do  with  a  mission  properly  supplied  with 
men  and  money.  Why  should  not  the  Yale  Mission  fur- 
nish the  illustration  ?  We  do  not  ask  for  that  which  will 
tempt  us  to  extravagance ;  we  do  ask  for  that  which  will 
help  us  to  do  the  best  possible  work. 

"  And  we  ask  for  a  support  that  will  mean  a  keen, 


202  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

abiding  interest ;  not  an  interest  that  is  sustained  only  by- 
great  success  and  wonderful  stories,  but  an  interest  that 
will  stand  the  strain  of  slow  development  in  the  field. 
We  who  go  do  not  expect  immediate  results.  We  go  for 
a  long  pull  and  a  strong  pull.  We  are  willing  to  begin  a 
work  of  generations  and  spend  our  lives  in  laying  the 
foundations  upon  which  others  may  build.  But  in  it  all 
we  look  to  the  Yale  men  at  home  for  an  interest  that  will 
not  flag.  When  the  work  is  discouraging  and  the  results 
small  we  want  to  know  that  you  do  not  desert  us  and  that 
we  can  depend  upon  you  for  the  truest  and  surest 
sympathy. 

"  And  finally  we  look  to  you  for  prayer.  Educated  men 
though  we  may  be,  we  believe  in  the  power  of  prayer. 
We  look  to  you,  in  college  and  out,  faculty  and  students, 
for  daily  and  nightly  prayer  for  the  blessing  of  God  upon 
the  Mission.     And  we  look  with  confidence. 

*'  This  is  what  we  expect  of  Yale  and  the  best  that  in 
us  lies  Yale  may  expect  of  us.  We  have  set  before  us  an 
ideal,  too  lofty  to  be  attained  with  human  power.  We 
look  to  God  in  humble  dependence  for  the  strength  we 
need.  With  this  help  we  go  to  establish  a  Mission  that 
shall  be  an  honour  to  Yale,  living  out  in  China  the 
highest  type  of  college  Christianity;  that  shall  be  an 
honour  to  the  Church  of  God,  standing  for  all  that  is  best 
in  her  life  in  the  world ;  and  an  honour  to  Jesus  Christ 
whom  we  love  and  serve,  and  in  whose  name  we  establish 
this  Mission,  that  His  kingdom  may  be  hastened  on 
earth." 

And  then  in  the  gathering  twilight  he  bade  us  all  good- 
bye one  by  one,  his  face  radiant  with  the  inspiration  of  a 
great  purpose,  and  with  a  confidence  in  our  support  which 


The  Yale  Mission  to  China  203 

would  have  compelled  it  had  we  been  faltering.  In  a  few 
hours  he  had  left  us  and  in  some  of  our  hearts  there 
was  a  great  loneliness  which  we  had  not  anticipated,  as 
we  saw  him  start  out  to  carry  his  "  Message  to  Garcia." 


VIII 

The  Pioneer  Missionary 


•    «*  How  I  do  long  that will  accept,  if  it  be  God's  will ;  yet  already  we 

have  seen  how  God  has  hindered  some  and  later  sent  us  better  men.  I  am 
prepared  for  anything,  but  you  can  well  imagine  that  it  will  be  a  blow  to 
me  if  at  least  one  other  does  not  go  this  fall.  Yet  I  would  not  say  *  blow/ 
for  I  trust  God's  will  will  never  be  a  blow.  But  to  us  at  least  another 
man  seems  peculiarly  essential  this  fall." — Letter  from  Whitinsville, 
July  4,  igo2. 


VIII 

THE  PIONEER  MISSIONARY 

THE  breaking  of  the  home-ties  and  the  enforced 
exile  in  a  foreign  land  are  the  essential  hard- 
ships involved  in  the  missionary  life  to-day,  and 
for  those  who  do  not  know  the  motive  power  of  the  love 
of  Christ  in  their  own  lives  it  is  incomprehensible  that 
these  things  should  be  voluntarily  accepted.  Men  and 
women,  for  whom  love  is  so  poor  a  thing  that  it  cannot 
survive  even  the  thought  of  separation,  try  to  explain  it 
by  assuming  that  these  home-ties  are  less  precious  and 
the  love  of  home  less  strong  in  the  missionary.  For 
Lawrence  it  cost  much  because  friends  and  kindred  were 
so  large  a  part  of  his  life,  and  his  home  was  one  of  the 
homes  it  is  hard  to  leave.  He  did  not  fail  to  realize  that 
the  ones  who  stay  behind  suffer  in  the  separation  even 
more  than  those  who  go.     He  writes  : 

"  September  28,  igo2. 
"  To-morrow  we  start.  I  do  not  dare  to  think  too  much 
of  my  good-bye  yesterday.  The  only  way  I  can  keep  a 
brave  front  is  by  doing  what  may  seem  cold,  not  think- 
ing much  about  the  past  but  only  of  the  present  and  fu- 
ture. The  pictures  which  I  wanted  yesterday  I  have  not 
had  the  courage  to  look  at.  And  yet  it  is  easier  for  me 
than  for  you.  You  are  left  with  nothing  new  to  occupy 
your  mind.  With  me  all  is  new,  and  I  am  busy  every 
minute.     But  I  do  not  want  to  talk  about  it  now.     I 

207 


2o8  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

gladly  go  and  you  gladly  let  me  go,  not  because  we  would 
not  prefer  to  be  together  for  always,  but  because  the  love 
of  Christ  constraineth  us.  I  had  rather  be  in  China  with 
Christ  than  at  home  without  Him,  and  that  would  be  the 
alternative  with  me,  for  He  has  called  me  there." 

There  are  many  who  accept  without  a  question  the 
reasonableness  of  going  abroad  for  business  or  govern- 
ment service  who  seem  unable  to  comprehend  the  mis- 
sionary motive.  One  of  the  passengers  on  the  steamer 
Empress  of  India  was  an  English  merchant  who  had  been 
in  business  in  Japan  for  nineteen  years,  "  his  wife,  a  poor 
sailor,  traveUing  back  and  forth  between  England  and 
Japan,  between  her  children  and  her  husband.  The  more 
I  see  of  it  all  the  more  I  fail  to  understand  how  any  one 
can  exile  himself  in  the  East  for  the  mere  making  of 
money.  How  can  any  one  care  enough  for  money  to 
spend  an  entire  life  in  a  foreign  land.  Give  me  a  small 
salary  in  my  home  land  rather  than  five  times  the  amount 
to  spend  out  here.  For  the  love  of  country,  of  fellow 
men,  of  Jesus  Christ,  one  need  not  shrink  from  going 
anywhere,  but  for  business — deliver  me  !  "  A  letter  from 
Tientsin  refers  again  to  the  cost  of  the  separation  made 
necessary  for  Christ's  sake  and  the  doing  of  His  work. 

"  November  p,  i<)02. 
"  How  easy  it  would  be  for  me  to  border  on  home- 
sickness. I  still  find  I  must  touch  the  subject  carefully  in 
my  thoughts  and  dreams.  Not  that  I  am  not  very 
happy,  not  that  I  have  not  home  right  here,  but  the  home 
in  Whitinsville  is  so  very  dear  and  everything  about  it  so 
familiar  that,  did  I  let  myself,  I  would  want  to  fly  to  it 
this  minute.     And  when  I  come  to  think  of  you,  my 


y: 


The  Pioneer  Missionary  209 

dear  ones — well,  I  do  not  dare,  in  one  sense.  But  it  is 
only  what  must  come  to  many,  these  separations.  They 
hurt,  but  the  hurt  is  only  the  price  of  love  and  a  happy 
home — a  paltry  price,  too.  I  pity  those  to  whom  going 
is  easy.     What  memories  have  they  to  help  them  ?  " 

Leaving  New  Haven  Monday  morning,  September  29th, 
the  Thurstons  went  on  to  Hartford,  whence  the  final  de- 
parture was  to  be  made.  Lawrence  had  left  the  home  in 
Whitinsville  the  Saturday  before,  sacrificing  the  precious 
last  moments  with  father  and  mother,  in  order  to  give  his 
parting  message  in  New  Haven.  There  was  a  brief  meet- 
ing in  the  morning  with  the  Student  Volunteers  at  the 
Hartford  Seminary,  and  the  early  afternoon  was  filled 
with  the  last  preparations  for  a  long  journey.  The  over- 
land train  left  Springfield  about  four,  and  an  hour  earlier 
a  goodly  group  of  Yale  and  Hartford  friends  were  on 
hand  to  say  good-bye.  Promises  to  "  see  you  in  China" 
from  three  or  four,  and  references  to  the  good  old  days 
at  camp  to  be  renewed  when  home  on  furlough,  covered 
up  the  sense  of  loss  which  each  one  felt  in  the  farewell. 

"  We  left  the  Rockies  yesterday  afternoon,  but  it  was 
a  most  glorious  day  we  spent  among  them,"  Lawrence 
wrote  from  Vancouver.  "  During  the  night  we  went 
through  the  Selkirks  and  in  the  morning  through  the  Cas- 
cades, along  the  banks  of  the  Frazer  River.  The  scenery 
this  morning  was  some  of  the  most  beautiful  we  have 
seen.  The  mountains  were  low  enough  for  hard  wood 
trees,  and  these  gave  us  autumn  foliage.  The  mountains 
were  all  flecked  with  patches  of  brilliant  red  and  yellow, 
and  patches  of  soft  greens  covered  the  foothills.  The 
river  itself  was  beautiful,  but  the  glimpses  of  the  rapids 
and  eddies  were  finest."     The  steamer  sailed  on  Monday, 


210  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

and  the  Thurstons  reached  Vancouver  Saturday  noon, 
leaving  time  for  some  shopping  on  Saturday  and  Mon- 
day before  saihng.  The  most  important  purchase  was  a 
Ralston  still.  '♦  It  will  run  on  top  of  our  stoves  and  sup- 
ply us  with  all  the  distilled  and  aerated  water  we  need,  so 
that  it  seems  hardly  necessary  to  fear  bad  drinking 
water." 

The  last  hours  on  shore  were  spent  in  writing  a  series 
of  letters  to  the  family  to  be  mailed  from  Vancouver  at 
intervals  of  a  few  days,  and  to  bridge  the  gap  in  corre- 
spondence necessary  in  a  long  voyage  away  from  home. 
A  friendly  hotel  clerk  agreed  to  mail  them  at  the  proper 
times.  These  letters  are  full  of  bright  comments  on  the 
experiences  of  the  trip  and  reminiscences  of  the  home  and 
the  life  left  behind.  There  is  a  description  of  Vancouver, 
of  the  hotel  servants — Lawrence's  first  glimpse  of  Asiatics, 
excepting  the  Chinese  laundryman  at  home,  a  very  full 
description  of  the  steamer,  and  this  amusing  comment  on 
a  piece  of  news  in  a  home  letter  which  has  in  it  the  for- 
ward as  well  as  the  backward  look. 

"  The  cow  is  gone.  How  strange  it  must  seem !  I 
trust  the  glass  cow  will  prove  as  satisfactory.  I  know  it 
will  be  better  than  our  tin  cows  in  China.  But  I  tell  you 
I  have  enjoyed  that  cream,  and  it  seems  hardly  possible 
that  we  should  have  as  much  without  the  cow.  The 
driving  of  the  beasts  in  my  boyhood  also  meant  a  great 
deal.  I  should  recommend  that  occupation  as  well  cal- 
culated to  give  a  boy  a  good  start  in  life.  For  the  hay- 
ing I  never  cared  so  much,  and  as  for  milking  I  never 
learned,  nor  did  I  care  to.  Fortunately  my  cows  in  China 
will  only  need  a  right-handed  can  opener,  so  that  my  lack 
of  training  will  not  be  a  disadvantage." 


o 


The  Pioneer  Missionary  211 

A  letter  mailed  at  Victoria  contains  the  final  good-bye. 

*'  When  we  leave  Victoria  we  leave  all  familiar  sights, 
and  land  only  in  strange  lands.  So  far  it  has  not  seemed 
as  if  we  were  very  far  from  home.  Now  we  are  to  be 
cut  off  by  many  weeks.  But  we  do  not  fear.  The  love 
is  the  same  no  matter  how  great  the  separation,  and  we 
are  just  as  safe  here  as  at  home,  as  long  as  we  do  God's 
will.  I  have  not  written  much  by  way  of  love-letters,  nor 
have  you.  Perhaps  both  have  worked  on  the  principle 
that  it  is  safest  and  easiest  not  to  talk  too  much  about 
such  things  at  first.  I  have  at  last  had  the  courage  to 
take  out  the  pictures  of  you,  but  I  fear  I  am  still  a  little 
sandless  on  meditating  very  much  on  the  subject.  I  have 
busied  myself  rather  with  the  present.  Good-night  and 
good-bye,  my  dear  ones.  We  cable  from  Shanghai  in 
about  three  weeks.     With  a  great  deal  of  love, 

"  Lawrence." 

The  passage  from  Vancouver  to  Japan  was  very  rough, 
and  Lawrence  soon  discovered  that  he  was  not  a  good 
sailor.  But  he  was  one  of  the  cheeriest  passengers,  and 
made  friends  who  were  attracted  to  him  in  their  misery 
by  his  brave  way  of  making  the  best  of  it.  Two  of  them, 
four  years  after,  speak  of  the  impression  he  made  on 
them.  His  description  of  the  storm  on  the  twelfth  day 
out  is  very  vivid. 

"  Yesterday  capped  the  climax,  and  now  that  it  is  over 
was  worth  while,  I  guess.  Even  during  the  show  I  en- 
joyed it.  We  were  struck  by  a  hurricane,  and  in  the 
ship's  log,  where  the  weather  is  marked  on  a  scale  of 
twelve,  this  was  marked  twelve — as  bad  as  they  make. 


212  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

The  wind  blew  seventy-five  miles  an  hour  by  measure- 
ment, and  a  ship  captain  [one  of  the  passengers]  said  the 
waves  were  easily  forty  feet  high.  They  finally  had  to 
head  the  boat  into  the  wind  and  just  hold  their  own  by 
running  the  engines  slowly.  For  five  hours  we  did  not 
gain  at  all  but  only  stood  the  gale,  which  the  boat  did 
beautifully.  I  suppose  we  were  never  in  any  real  dan- 
ger, although  the  waves  did  break  one  of  the  rails  right 
down,  and  might  easily  have  carried  away  some  of  the 
upper  deck  had  they  not  headed  up  into  the  wind. 

"  Fortunately  we  both  felt  well  in  the  morning  and  I  was 
out  on  deck  almost  before  I  knew  it.  Every  chair  was 
lashed  to  the  deck  on  the  leeward  side — the  windward 
side  was  swept  with  waves.  I  possessed  myself  of  two 
chairs  and  waited  for  Tillie.  The  boat  was  keeled  over 
so  that  the  deck  was  badly  inclined  and  almost  impos- 
sible to  walk  on.  Tillie  finally  appeared  and  trying 
properly  to  receive  her  I  arose — and  then  sHd  gracefully 
down  to  the  rail  into  the  water  which  was  pouring  along 
there  and  sat  down.  I  arose  immediately,  if  not  sooner, 
and  managed  to  return  to  my  post  to  find  that  Tillie  had 
come  only  to  bring  her  things  and  was  going  to  break- 
fast. She  made  her  way  back  by  clinging  to  the  chairs 
and  to  the  arm  of  a  man  who  was  a  better  navigator  than 
I.  Meanwhile  we  watched  the  scenery,  and  it  was 
scenery  I  tell  you.  Mountains  of  waves  rose  above  us. 
It  really  looked  very  much  like  mountain  scenery — like 
the  Rockies  as  we  saw  them  from  the  distance.  The 
wind  was  so  strong  that  the  waves  could  not  form  crests 
but  were  blown  into  spray  at  their  tops.  All  the  water 
was  so  lashed  into  foam  that  instead  of  being  blue  it  was 
a  beautiful  light  green  mixed  with  white.  I  hope  never 
to  see  its  equal  again,  but  it  certainly  was  magnificent 


The  Pioneer  Missionary  213 

But  the  spray  blew  so  furiously  that  we  had  to  have  the 
awning  down  in  front  of  us,  which  cut  off  the  view. 
Once  the  scenery  was  cut  off  we  amused  ourselves  with 
the  scenes  inside,  which  were  well  worth  seeing.  Every 
few  minutes  the  water  would  come  pouring  in  from  the 
other  side  of  the  ship,  making  a  perfect  river  in  front  of 
us  which,  as  the  ship  rolled,  washed  beneath  us,  leaving 
us  sitting  in  the  midst  of  a  lake.  But  each  was  provided 
with  two  chairs,  so  that  we  were  well  out  of  the  way  of  a 
wetting.  To  see  people  navigate  that  deck  was  a  show. 
I  may  never  forget  seeing  our  English  missionary  friend, 

Mr.  J ,  a  tall,  dignified  man  of  fifty,  perched  on  a 

heap  of  chairs  by  the  rail,  whither  he  had  climbed  in  his 
extremity  to  escape  the  flood.  He  remained  some  time, 
for  what  could  he  do  ?  Six  inches  of  water  under  him 
and  the  boat  refused  to  roll  the  other  way.  One  woman 
had  to  climb  the  rail  to  escape  a  worse  fate.  One  would 
think  they  would  have  stayed  below — most  did ;  but 
enough  wanted  to  see  the  fun  to  make  it  interesting  for 
us  who  were  safely  seated  in  our  reserved  seats  taken  be- 
fore matters  had  become  desperate.  The  sailors  shared 
the  same  fate  as  the  passengers,  and  many  a  man  was 
forced  to  rush  wildly  to  the  rail  and  cling  there  to  save 
being  thrown  headlong  against  it.  Tillie  finally  returned, 
by  good  luck  escaping  both  a  ducking  and  a  fall.  By 
the  time  my  breakfast  came  I  was  desperate  with  hunger, 
but  my  poor  waiter  was  more  so.  He  brought  it  in 
a  napkin,  the  plates  tied  up  tight.  Not  feeling  very 
steady  inside,  I  had  ordered  more  by  what  I  wanted 
than  by  what  was  seasonable  for  such  a  time  and 
place.  It  was  soft  boiled  eggs  which ,  a  la  English, 
must  be  eaten  from  the  shell.  Imagine  my  troubles  ! 
Any  minute   likely  to   slide   bodily  into   the   rail   and 


214  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

my  eggs  and  dishes  all  dancing  gaily  in  my  lap.  But 
the  eggs  were  very  soft,  and  by  stirring  them  up 
thoroughly  in  the  shell,  I  managed  to  drink  them  from 
it  with  great  relish.  The  excitement  continued  in  every 
form — now  a  river  of  water,  now  a  spill  of  poor  souls  at 
the  rail,  now  a  life-boat  must  be  more  securely  lashed  at 
the  risk  seemingly  of  the  crew's  life,  now  an  awning  was 
carried  away  and  had  to  be  rescued — so  it  went  until  it 
was  decided  that  the  boat  must  be  headed  into  the  wind. 
Down  came  our  protecting  awnings  and  we  had  to  flee. 
But  that  was  now  no  easy  matter.  To  navigate  twenty 
people  over  that  sloping,  soaking,  slippery  deck  was 
serious.  One  crowd  landed  in  the  gutter  before  they 
reached  safety,  and  even  the  method  of  clinging  to  some- 
thing at  every  step  wasn't  sure,  as  your  feet  might  go  out 
from  under  you.  But  at  last  we  got  in,  and  for  me  at 
least  all  the  fun  was  over.  My  lunch  was  too  late  to 
save  me,  and  I  was  sick  the  rest  of  the  day.  We  pitched 
and  tossed  all  night,  but  this  morning  came  out  as  fair 
as  any  dream,  and  they  hope  for  good  weather  for  a 
while.  So  evidently  we  have  had  a  rare  trip — a  rarity 
to  which  any  one  is  welcome,  excuse  me ! 

"  One  great  miserable  weary  way  of  rough  weather 
and  air  below  which  would  stand  alone  and  make  you 
sick  to  think  of  it." 

The  days  ashore  at  Yokohama,  Kobe,  and  Nagasaki 
were  welcome  breaks  in  the  monotony  of  existence.  A 
hurried  visit  to  the  Imperial  University  at  Tokyo  was 
made  from  Yokohama. 

"  October  22,  igo2. 
**  The  University  is  in  the  midst  of  a  large  campus — 


The  Pioneer  Missionary  215 

twenty-five  acres.  Some  of  the  buildings  are  very  good 
— none  equal  to  our  best  American  college  buildings,  but 
very  good  nevertheless.  By  very  good  fortune  we  fell 
into  the  hands  of  the  head  of  the  science  department 
who  spoke  English,  and  he  showed  us  the  science 
building." 

At  Kobe  the  day  ashore  was  spent  with  friends  at  the 
Kobe  College  for  Girls.  "  We  took  supper  with  the 
family  there.  It  was  so  good  to  get  into  a  home  again 
and  have  a  simple  American  supper.  I  haven't  enjoyed 
a  meal  so  much  since  I  left  home.  After  supper  we  went 
to  the  station  prayer-meeting,  and  as  usual  I  was  forced 
to  tell  about  the  Yale  Mission." 

"  You  should  have  seen  the  baseball  game  we  saw 
yesterday  in  Kobe.  There  was  a  little  open  space  such 
as  we  have  in  our  cities  at  home,  and  there  were  gathered 
a  crowd  of  little  Japs,  playing  baseball  for  all  the  world 
as  you  would  see  it  in  America.  It  was  but  another 
illustration  of  the  strange  combination  we  see  in  Japan. 
Another  we  heard  of  but  did  not  see — a  Buddhist  idol  in 
the  city,  the  third  eye  of  which  was  an  electric  light. 
What  a  combination — electric  lighted  idolatry  ! " 

"  October  2j,  igo2. 
"  This  morning  we  are  sailing  through  the  Inland  Sea, 
on  both  sides  of  us  the  beautiful  shores  of  Japan — very 
hilly  and  rocky  and  often  barren,  but  usually  covered 
with  green.  Here  and  there  the  hillsides  are  terraced — 
for  fear,  undoubtedly,  that  the  farmers  would  otherwise 
fall  out  of  their  cornfields." 

At  Nagasaki  a  jinrikisha  ride  to  Mo  Gi,  with  a  lunch  in 


2i6  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

a  fascinating  little  Japanese  inn,  gave  an  opportunity  to 
see  a  little  of  the  real  Japan,  the  country  and  the  people 
at  their  work.  On  board  the  ship  again  the  Westerner 
had  his  first  experience  in  barter  in  trying  to  buy  some 
Japanese  curios,  and  saw  for  the  first  time  a  ship  pro- 
vided with  her  coal,  not  by  a  steam  derrick,  but  by 
baskets  passed  along  from  one  dirty  little  Japanese  girl 
to  another,  until  finally  emptied  into  the  hold.  The 
family  letters  are  full  of  descriptions  of  these  new  ex- 
periences. 

The  journey  seemed  at  an  end  when  Shanghai  was 
reached  on  the  twenty-sixth  day,  and  China  and  the 
Chinese  became  a  reality.  Several  days  were  spent  in 
Shanghai  waiting  for  the  steamer  for  Tientsin.  These 
days  gave  opportunity  to  see  something  of  missionary 
work  in  a  visit  to  St.  John's  College,  attendance  at  a 
meeting  of  the  Shanghai  Missionary  Association  and 
conference  with  missionaries  who  were  consulted  about 
the  Yale  Mission. 

"  Being  a  missionary  is  like  belonging  to  a  great  fra- 
ternity. You  meet  all  on  common  terms  and  each  is 
ready  to  help  the  other  in  every  way  possible.  It  is  a 
great  privilege  to  meet  in  this  way  some  of  the  men 
whom  one  has  heard  of  so  much.  Last  night  I  met 
Dr.  Timothy  Richard  and  Mr.  Gilbert  Reid.  We  spent 
the  afternoon  with  Lyon,  and  this  morning  had  a  good 
talk  with  Lewis,  who  is  secretary  of  the  foreign  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
here.  He  is  intensely  interested  in  the  Mission  and  gave 
us  some  very  good  advice.  I  tell  them  all  they  need  not 
apologize  for  offering  suggestions.  I  am  here  to  get 
them. 

"  This  interview  with  Lewis  was  one  of  the  most  sig- 


The  Pioneer  Missionary  217 

nificant  events  of  the  year.  He  had  spent  the  summer 
with  Lobenstine  (Yale  '95),  and  Dr.  Evans  (Yale  '95),  and 
other  young  college  men  who  were  interested  in  this 
college  Mission.  Mr.  Lewis  had  visited  the  schools  of 
China  and  Japan  and  studied  the  educational  situation 
generally  for  his  book — '  The  Educational  Conquest  of 
the  Far' East.'  What  he  said  had  even  more  weight  than 
at  first  appeared,  though  at  the  time  it  was  evident  that 
he  had  been  giving  the  problem  serious  thought.  His 
advice  was  to  do  just  what  the  Yale  Mission  finally  did 

do go    into    special   educational   work   and   locate   at 

Chang-sha.  The  policy  at  this  time,  as  far  as  the  Yale 
Mission  could  be  said  to  have  had  a  policy  for  the  work 
in  China,  was  to  engage  in  general  work  in  some  un- 
occupied field  along  all  the  lines  of  regular  missionary 
work.  This  suggestion  of  Mr.  Lewis  called  for  a  radical 
change  of  plan  and  made  the  necessity  of  complete  in- 
vestigation of  the  situation  more  imperative  than  before." 

Lawrence  gave  up  his  berth  on  the  coast-steamer, 
sleeping  in  the  cabin,  in  order  that  Mrs.  Crawford,  a  mis- 
sionary who  had  been  a  fellow  passenger  on  the  Empress, 
might  get  to  Chefoo  on  time  to  transact  some  business 
connected  with  the  settlement  of  her  husband's  estate. 
A  very  severe  cold  resulted  and  necessitated  a  few  days' 
delay  in  Tientsin  before  going  on  to  Peking.  The  house 
which  had  been  built  in  the  American  Board  Compound 
was  not  quite  finished,  but  very  nearly  so,  and  on  the 
seventh  of  December  the  Thurstons  settled  down  in  their 
own  home.  The  missionaries  gave  a  hearty  welcome  to 
the  newcomers,  even  though  they  were  representatives 
of  a  movement  not  fully  understood. 

The  first  work  of  the  new  missionary  after  setting  his 


2i8  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

house  in  order  is  language  study.  These  things  were  the 
subject  of  the  first  report  letter,  sent  to  the  six  men  of 
the  class  of  '98,  who  were  supporting  this  Yale  mission- 
ary. It  meant  much  to  Lawrence  to  feel  himself  so 
closely  in  touch  with  the  men  whom  he  called  his 
"  backers."  He  liked  to  feel  that  every  '98  man  stood 
behind  him  in  the  work  he  was  doing  "  for  God,  for 
China  and  for  Yale." 

"  Peking y  China,  January,  6,  igoj. 
"  Dear  Fellows  : 

"  Typewritten  letters  may  not  seem  so  personal, 
and  if  you  really  object  I  will  gladly  change,  but  I  suspect 
that  were  one  letter  to  reach  you  in  my  own  fair  hand 
you  would  join  the  number  of  those  who  thank  the  man 
who  gave  me  a  typewriter. 

"  I  hardly  know  where  to  begin  or  what  you  will  care 
most  to  hear  about.  Of  course  I  am  at  present  a  •  new 
missionary '  and  am  therefore  barred  from  saying  much 
about  missionary  work  even  if  I  cared  to  air  my  views. 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  I  do  not  feel  as  if  I  would  know 
enough  for  some  time  to  come,  to  pass  on  to  you  any  in- 
formation which  would  be  of  real  value  about  the  work 
which  others  are  doing  out  here.  I  feel  like  being  reti- 
cent for  months,  if  not  years,  about  what  will  take  so 
much  study  to  really  know.  I  might  write  with  enthusi- 
asm of  relatives  of  the  Emperor  who  come  to  the  morn- 
ing services,  of  the  number  who  are  joining  the  church 
after  practically  a  year's  probation,  and  of  the  interest 
shown  in  many  other  ways.  But  all  the  while  I  might 
be  giving  you  a  false  impression  because  of  not  knowing 
these  things  in  all  their  bearings  and  what  weight  should 
be  given  to  each  one.     Or  I  might  give  you  the  other 


The  Pioneer  Missionary  219 

side  and  tell  of  the  rumours  of  uprisings  and  of  the  confi- 
dence of  one  Englishman  whom  we  met  and  who  lives  in 
China,  that  there  would  be  more  trouble  soon  and  that  it 
might  be  lively  again  in  Peking  this  very  winter.  But 
this  also  would  probably  convey  a  false  impression.  In- 
stead it  is  best  to  be  silent  and  do  nothing  but  study  a 
most  intensely  interesting  situation,  waiting  for  the  future 
for  the  expression  of  views. 

•'  Yet  there  is  a  deal  that  can  be  talked  about  and  if 
there  are  any  subjects  that  are  left  out  which  you  would 
especially  like  to  hear  about,  I  wish  you  would  say  so  and 
I  will  do  my  best.  If  the  globe-trotter  should  drop  into 
our  home  now  I  wonder  if  he  would  go  home  and 
say  that  these  missionaries  live  in  luxury.  Perhaps  he 
would.  Here  we  are  in  a  foreign  built  house  with  three 
servants  and  as  comfortable  as  you  please.  Why,  we 
even  put  in  electric  bells  this  afternoon,  and  I  really  think 
we  ought  to  be  ashamed  of  our  luxurious  living.  But 
lest  some  of  those  aforesaid  individuals  should  attack  us 
in  your  hearing  and  you  not  know  how  to  reply  because 
he  had  really  '  seen,'  let  me  tell  you  the  facts.  We  could 
have  lived  in  a  native  house.  Everybody  used  to  in  Pe- 
king. Board  floors  and  a  few  foreign  windows  make 
them  quite  comfortable,  that  is  if  you  like  to  live  with 
your  bedroom,  study,  and  dining-room  all  separated  by  an 
open  court,  and  no  floors  more  than  a  few  inches  above  the 
ground.  It  is  probable  that  we  shall  have  to  live  in  just 
such  houses  for  many  years  after  we  go  to  our  permanent 
station,  because  Chinese  prejudice  forbids  either  a  second 
story  or  a  cellar,  but  while  we  are  in  Peking,  where  this 
prejudice  is  overcome,  and  where  all  the  foreigners  are 
building  comfortable  houses  as  far  as  they  can,  it  would 
be  folly  to  take  the  risks  a  native  house  involves  even 


220  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

though  our  present  quarters  do  look  '  too  good  for  mis- 
sionaries.' We  are  not  sent  here  to  suffer  hardships 
which  are  not  necessary.  But  I  wish  our  globe-trotter 
would  try  to  rent  this  house  in  America,  and  I  fear  he 
would  discover  that  its  '  elegance '  did  not  attract  com- 
pared with  the  simple  American  cottage.  What  would 
not  be  endured  at  home  satisfies  and  even  delights  out  here 
because  it  is  so  much  better  than  we  had  dreamed  of,  and 
because  of  the  contrast  between  this  and  what  is  about  us. 
"  But  what  about  these  servants  ?  The  idea  of  having 
a  cook,  a  laundryman  and  a  house  boy  !  I  confess  that 
at  first  we  thought  so  too,  and  meekly  suggested  that  we 
would  like  to  try  getting  along  with  two.  We  were  told 
we  might  try,  but  before  we  went  to  housekeeping  it  be- 
came quite  clear  that  the  older  missionaries  as  usual  knew 
best,  and  we  engaged  three.  They  cost  about  ten  cents 
a  day  apiece,  and  sometimes  it  seems  as  if  they  were  not 
worth  much  more.  One  Irish  girl  at  home  could  do 
most  of  the  work  that  it  takes  all  three  of  them  to  do. 
But  that  is  not  the  great  reason  why  every  one  keeps 
and  should  keep  enough  servants  to  do  all  the  work.  It 
would  be  possible  for  one's  wife  to  do  as  much  of  the  work 
as  the  country  minister's  wife  does  at  home,  and  I  would 
be  just  as  capable  or  incapable  of  managing  the  fires  and 
carrying  water.  But  the  point  is  that  time  is  too  valu- 
able. With  labour  at  ten  cents  a  day,  a  man  who  is  be- 
ing paid  even  three  or  four  dollars  a  day  cannot  afford 
to  economize  on  servants.  In  fact  everything  that  he 
can  possibly  afford  to  hire  done  he  ought  to,  for  there  are 
endless  important  things  to  be  done,  some  of  which  must 
go  undone,  no  matter  how  many  servants  there  are  to  do 
the  things  that  anybody  can  do.  Just  as  it  is  the  best  of 
economy  in  an  office  to  have  as  many  clerks  as  are  nee- 


The  Pioneer  Missionary  221 

essary  to  do  the  drudgery  in  order  to  leave  the  managers 
free  to  do  what  no  one  else  can  do,  so  it  is  out  here. 
And  I  for  one  hope  to  be  able  to  have  enough  servants 
to  take  everything  off  my  hands  that  they  possibly  can. 
That  is  the  reason  why  we  have  put  in  electric  bells. 
They  save  time  and  time  means  letters  written  or  business 
done  or  unbroken  study  during  study  hours.     So  you  can 
just  tell  the  critic  to  give  up  his  clerks  and  write  his  own  let- 
ters, or  else  give  a  good  reason  why  it  is  worth  while  to  keep 
an  American  in  China  to  run  errands  and  carry  out  ashes. 
"Our  time  at  present  is  largely  taken  with  the  study 
of  the  language.     I  will  not  try  m  this  letter  to  describe 
what  that  means,  but  this  much  can  be  said  that  Chinese 
is  pretty  bad.     We  expect  to  learn  it  and  we  hope  to 
learn  it  well,  but  wait  till  I  tell  you  what  that  means  be- 
fore you  try  to  guess  how  big  a  job  it  is.     The  only  real 
missionary  work  that  I  am  doing  is  being  depositary  for 
the  North  China  Tract  Society.     Some  one  has  to  do  it 
and  one  can  feel  that  he  is  helping  the  other  missionaries 
in  their  work  even  when  he  cannot  speak  himself,  and  he 
knows  he  is  distributing  good  literature  although  he  has 
to  depend  on  others  for  the  assurance  that  it  is.     There 
is  another  point  in  favour  of  the  job,  and  that  is  that  it 
forces  me  to  talk  with  the  Chinese  just  as  housekeeping 
helps  Mrs.  Thurston  in  the  same  way. 

«*  This  letter  may  serve  to  give  you  an  idea  of  where 
we  are  and  what  we  are  up  to.  In  my  next  I'll  try  to 
throw  more  light  on  the  subject  of  China,  perhaps.  I  will 
be  more  than  delighted  to  hear  from  you  fellows,  and  a 
letter  from  you  now  and  then  will  help  a  great  deal  m 

keeping  us  in  touch. 

"  Very  sincerely, 

"J.  Lawrence  Thurston." 


222  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

There  is  very  little  in  the  way  of  opinions  regarding 
the  work  or  conditions  to  be  found  even  in  the  family 
letters  of  this  wise  young  missionary  who  knows  what  is 
expected  of  him  but  fails  to  stumble  in  this  point  at  least. 

"  November  gth. 
"  I  am  shy  of  talking  much  about  my  first  impressions. 
But  I  will  say  this — I  can  say  it  more  emphatically  when 
I  have  seen  the  higher  class  to  know  them — that  to 
judge  China  by  the  Chinese  laundry  men  is  as  fair  as  to 
judge  America  by  her  city  street  cleaners.  We  have  not 
seen  much  of  China,  but  we  have  seen  even  now  some 
fine  specimens  of  men  and  some  very  interesting  faces." 

"  December  20th. 
"  It  is  evening  and  we  are  both  settling  down  for  a 
talk  with  our  dear  ones  in  the  home  land.  For  it  will 
always  be  the  home  land  no  matter  how  happy  we  may 
be  here  and  how  much  this  may  seem  like  home  to  us. 
Of  course  I  am  young  yet  in  the  business,  and  I  am  not 
coming  in  contact  with  the  people  as  much  as  I  shall 
later  on,  but  the  more  I  see  of  them  the  more  I  like  them 
and  the  gladder  I  am  of  having  the  privilege  of  coming 
to  China.  Even  the  servants,  who  certainly  do  not 
always  do  what  they  ought  to  do,  are  attractive,  and 
when  one  sees  a  really  fine  Chinese  he  is  decidedly  an 
inspiration." 

Further  comments  on  the  difficulties  of  language  study 
appear  in  letters  to  the  family  and  to  Mr.  Beach. 

"  Aj?nl  igth. 
"  You  often  ask  about  our  language  study.     The  truth 
is  that  I  do  not  talk  about  it  any  more  than  I  used  to 


The  Pioneer  Missionary  223 

about  my  studies  at  home,  because  it  is  not  the  most 
interesting  subject  of  conversation,  and  in  fact  I  am  not 
unready  to  let  it  drop  for  a  time.  The  first  few  months 
of  Chinese  are  a  dead  grind,  especially  to  one  not  inter- 
ested in  language  study,  and  all  you  can  do  is  to  hang  on 
Hke  a  puppy  to  a  root  with  the  fond  hope  that  some 
time  you  may  be  able  to  pull  it  up.  It  is  a  case  of 
memorizing  the  most  unheard  of  idioms  with  few  or  no 
rules  to  suggest  what  should  be  said.  The  characters  are 
not  so  hopeless  as  they  look,  for  you  soon  begin  to  see 
what  they  are  made  of.  .  .  .  As  to  writing  the  char- 
acters, very  few  even  of  the  best  scholars  do  it.  One  is 
supposed  to  learn  a  few,  and  if  one  can  write  a  character 
he  is  almost  sure  of  knowing  it  for  good,  but  it  is  ex- 
tremely difficult  and  is  hardly  worth  while  unless  you  are 
fortunate  enough  to  have  a  gift  in  that  direction.  The 
romanization  is  also  a  most  exasperating  thing,  and  for 
this  the  Chinese  are  not  responsible.  It  is  such  a  system 
that  unless  one  had  learned  the  new  meanings  of  the 
English  letters  he  would  not  be  at  all  sure  of  the  pro- 
nunciation. Yesterday  we  heard  that  a  reform  had  been 
started  and  that  a  sensible  system  had  been  worked  out 
and  would  soon  be  made  public.  But  the  trouble  is  that 
all  the  dictionaries,  etc.,  which  represent  great  invest- 
ments, are  in  the  old  spelling,  and  even  this  has  two  or 
three  systems  in  it  varying  slightly  so  that  we  are  actually 
using  three  systems  in  the  books  we  use.  For  a  poor 
speller  like  this  individual  the  situation  is  most  trying, 
and  I  am  in  the  wildest  confusion." 

^^  January  26th. 
"  To  Mr.  Beach  : 

"  You  will  think  I  am  blue  to-night  if  I  go  on  to 


224  ^  ^^^^  With  a  Purpose 

speak  of  our  language  study.  But  for  slow  progress  I 
think  we  are  making  the  record.  It  seems  as  if  there 
were  the  most  interminable  number  of  distractions. 
Peking  is  certainly  not  an  ideal  place  for  study,  and  I  fear 
I  have  often  sighed  for  a  lodge  in  some  vast  wilderness. 
Mrs.  Thurston  is  not  as  disturbed  as  I  am,  and  Mrs. 
Ament,  much  to  my  amusement,  boasts  of  our  progress. 
I  know  that  we  manage  to  keep  house  and  that  we  are 
ready  to  practice  our  Chinese  upon  any  unwary  victim, 
and  that  by  signs  and  noises  we  do  seem  to  make  our 
wants  known.  But  when  I  think  that  we  have  not  got 
beyond  the  twelfth  lesson  in  the  primary  book  I  feel  as 
if  we  must  be  doing  something  out  of  the  way.  And 
when  I  realize  that  if  I  do  not  know  Chinese  well  it  will 
always  be  a  temptation  to  the  younger  men  to  be  lax,  I 
feel  perfectly  helpless.  I  have  always  known  that  I  was 
neither  a  scholar  nor  a  student,  and  that  my  strength  lay 
in  other  directions,  if  it  existed,  but  that  does  not  make 
it  any  easier  to  deal  with  officials  and  to  impart  new 
ideas  to  the  people.  I  try  to  console  myself  with  the 
thought  that  even  as  it  is  I  am  probably  of  more  value 
to  the  Mission  than  no  one." 

The  holidays  which  are  celebrated  by  family  reunions 
are  apt  to  be  times  when  absent  dear  ones  are  remem- 
bered with  longings  that  the  impossible  spaces  might  be 
annihilated  and  all  might  meet  again  around  the  family 
table.  In  Peking  it  is  the  custom  for  all  the  Americans 
to  meet  together  in  one  large  family,  guests  of  the  Amer- 
ican minister  for  the  Thanksgiving  feast.  "  After  the 
service  in  Mr.  Conger's  parlours  came  the  dinner  about 
six.  It  was  exceedingly  good,  though  lacking  some  of 
the  things  we  are  so  fond  of  at  home.     After  that  there 


The  Pioneer  Missionary  225 

was  singing  and  a  very  good  time  all  round.  It  was  one 
of  the  pleasantest  Thanksgivings  I  ever  spent  away  from 
home." 

On  Christmas  day  the  Thurstons  entertained  the  other 
missionaries  in  the  compound  at  dinner.  The  Sunday 
before  Lawrence  had  preached  his  first  sermon  in  the 
Union  Church,  a  Christmas  sermon,  the  theme  of  which 
was  the  joy  which  is  in  our  lives  because  Christ  came  on 
the  first  Christmas  day. 

"  December  28th. 
*'  Christmas  day  was  great  fun  although  we  could 
hardly  have  a  real  tree.  Although  there  was  a  solid 
agreement  on  the  compound  that  no  presents  were  to 
be  sent,  still  some  Christmas  cards  appeared  and  two 
very  pretty  bits  of  china.  These  came  at  the  breakfast 
table.  This  inspired  me  to  plan  a  joke  tree  for  the 
dinner  party  at  night.  We  had  some  little  potted  trees 
that  would  pass,  and  if  I  could  only  get  some  little  jokes 
by  way  of  presents  I  was  all  right.  How  I  longed  for  a 
ten-cent  store  !  But  I  went  bravely  over  to  Te  Ch'ang's, 
the  foreign  store  near  by,  and  there  right  at  my  hand 
was  just  what  I  wanted,  and  at  prices  that  were  ridicu- 
lous— little  German  toys  that  cost  nothing.  For  fifty 
cents  gold  I  had  bought  all  I  needed,  and  yet  nearly  all 
will  prove  a  help  to  the  people  here  in  entertaining  their 
children  guests.     But  what  I  wanted  was  to  have  a  game, 

and  we  had  it.     .     .     .     Dr.  A was  given  a  set  of 

lead  soldiers,  Mrs.  A a  tiny  clock.  Miss  C ,  gray 

haired,  a  charming  toy  which  kept  a  little  ball  in  the  air 

by  blowing,  Miss    S a  tiny  harmonica,  and  so  on 

through  the  list;  and  then  to  each  a  box  of  beautiful 
fire-work  matches.     But  the  dinner  itself  was  also  a  sue- 


226  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

cess,  if  I  do  say  it  as  shouldn't,  only  the  cook  did  not 
understand  and  so  the  salad  came  on  without  its  dress- 
ing. Mrs.  Ament  helped  us  out  by  going  over  and 
getting  some  of  hers  while  we  waited  and  laughed.  Then 
the  turkeys  appeared  with  the  most  remarkable  costume 
on,  stockings  I  called  them,  the  little  fringes  you  know, 
only  in  this  case  they  were  made  of  newspaper.  Im- 
agine it !  But  to  the  Pekingese  anything  foreign  is  the 
proper  thing,  and  are  not  newspapers  foreign  ?  We  had 
consomme,  turkey,  cranberry  sauce,  all  sorts  of  vege- 
tables, salad,  apricot  sherbet,  cakes,  coffee  and  candy. 
Then  after  supper  we  read  Dooley,  popped  corn  and 
sang  hymns. 

"  And  so  my  first  Christmas  away  from  home  is  passed. 
How  I  would  have  liked  to  have  been  there,  and  as  a 
child  had  a  Christmas  tree.  Tillie  calls  me  an  unusual 
home  lover,  and  I  guess  I  am.  And  Christmas  was  one 
of  the  times  which  meant  most  to  me.  Somehow  the 
getting  up  in  the  morning  and  dressing  under  the  greatest 
excitement  by  the  firelight  in  mamma's  room  and  then 
going  down  to  the  tree  with  all  its  candles  and  its  pres- 
ents, will  always  be  one  of  the  dearest  memories  of  my 
childhood.     Fourth  of  July — no,  nothing  can  equal  it. 

"  If  you  could  not  place  us  exactly  on  Thanksgiving 
day  you  surely  would  have  exhausted  your  powers  of 
guessing  when  it  came  to  New  Year's  eve.  We  were 
guests  of  Lady  Susan  Townley  at  the  rink,  where  we 
skated  the  old  year  out.  More  exactly,  we  were  guests  of 
Lieutenant  Cowie,  a  young  English  officer  here.  I  am 
glad  we  went  because  it  was  good  fun  and  an  experience 
worth  having.  The  club  is  an  international  affair  and 
the  party  was  too.  Lady  Susan  simply  invited  every- 
body and  then  the  members  of  the  club  brought  whom 


The  Pioneer  Missionary  227 

they  chose.     It  was    a   rare  opportunity  to  come  into 
touch  with  so  many  different  nationalities.     The  acting 
Russian  minister  was  the  best  skater  there.     There  were 
French,  Germans,  ItaUans,  Russians,  EngUsh,  Americans, 
and  others  very  hkely.     The  Japanese  evidently  do  not 
skate.     Why  the  Dutch  were  not  there  I  do  not  know. 
The  rink  was  in  very  good  condition,  and  until  it  was  all 
cut  up  by  the  skates  we  had  some  very  good  skating. 
It  was  lighted  by  a  myriad  of  coloured  Chinese  lanterns, 
red  and  white.     Just  before  twelve  we  all  took  red  lan- 
terns on  little  sticks,  and  sleigh-bells  and,  as  the  clock 
struck,  the  procession  around  the  circle  must  have  looked 
very  pretty.     Then  we  all  sat  down  to  a  very  nice  supper, 
which  by  that  time  we  were  decidedly  ready  for.     For 
that  we  were  separated  into  groups,  and  we,  as  Lieutenant 
Cowie's  guests,  had  a  nice  quiet  time  by  ourselves,  a  few 
English  and  Americans  together.     We  were  in  bed  by 
two,  so  that  it  was  not  a  great  dissipation. 

"  Such  a  letter  as  this  I  should  think  might  make  you 
think  that  we  were  having  a  gay  old  time  this  winter  and 
make  you  wonder  when  we  had  time  to  be  missionaries. 
Well,  it  is  just  as  it  used  to  be  in  school.     The  interest- 
ing things  are  not  how  many  Chinese  words  we  can 
mispronounce,  but  the  variety  that  comes  into  our  life 
and  makes  it  interesting  both  for  us  and  for  you.     Then 
again  it  is  very  true  that  there  is  really  no  missionary 
work  in  our  life  at  present.     We  are  perfectly  helpless, 
and  when  we  succeed  in  boarding  ourselves  for  two  days 
without  calling  on  Mrs.  Ament's  help  as  interpreter,  we 
are  thought  to  be  doing  quite  well.     I  took  the  laundry- 
man's  account  last  night  all  by  myself,  andTiUie  has  been 
proud  all  day  about  it.     But  it  only  had  four  items  and 
involved  little  Chinese,  I  assure  you.     I  have  stumped 


228  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

Tillie  to  take  the  cook's  account  to-morrow  and  she  is 
going  to  try. 

"  Now  before  I  forget  it  I  must  tell  papa  what  our 
daily  schedule  is,  for  he  has  asked  many  times.  We  have 
breakfast  at  seven-thirty,  that  is,  the  cook  does.  Follow- 
ing that  is  prayers.  Then  Tillie  interviews  the  cook  for 
the  three  meals  to  come,  while  I  do  anything  that  must 
be  done  before  study.  The  rest  of  the  morning  comes 
study,  closing  at  about  twelve,  when  the  teacher  gets 
hungry  and  I  get  tired.  Dinner  at  twelve-thirty.  After 
dinner  all  sorts  of  things  till  two,  when  study  comes  and 
lasts  till  five.  Then  tennis  and  supper  at  six-thirty.  The 
evening  is  full  of  letters  and  work  and  bed  comes  at  ten. 
That  is  more  or  less  of  an  ideal  schedule  and  is  oftener 
broken  than  carried  out.  All  manner  of  interruptions 
come  in,  and  one  often  sighs  for  a  vast  wilderness.  Tillie 
says  I  am  going  back  on  her  in  the  matter  of  reading. 
I  guess  I  am,  but  that  pile  of  letters  haunts  me  unless  I 
make  some  impression  on  it  constantly." 

No  one  but  Mrs.  Thurston  realized  how  much  work 
was  involved  in  the  correspondence  made  necessary 
because  of  the  developments  in  the  investigations  re- 
garding location  and  character  of  work  to  be  done  by 
the  Yale  Mission.  The  burden  of  responsibihty,  too, 
was  very  heavy,  as  important  decisions  had  to  be  made 
without  waiting  for  advice  from  New  Haven.  All 
these  things  interfered  with  language  study,  the  prime 
importance  of  which  was  urged  by  the  older  mission- 
aries. Only  one,  Mr.  Walter  Lowrie,  seemed  to  realize 
that  the  investigation  of  these  problems  was  of  first  im- 
portance to  the  Mission  and  must  take  precedence  even  of 
language  study.     One  sees  now  that  the  struggle  to  do 


The  Pioneer  Missionary  229 

both  was  too  plainly  the  cause  of  the  early  breakdown,  and 
yet  no  one  advised  leaving  the  study  out  except 
Mrs.  Thurston,  and  her  advice  was  lovingly  laughed  aside 
because  she  was  supposed  to  be  "  prejudiced." 

^*  January  26th. 
**  I  am  beginning  to  realize  as  never  before  my  need 
of  a  colleague.  There  is  no  older  missionary  who  fully 
understands  the  situation.  Mrs.  Thurston  and  I  discuss 
every  question  and  her  ideas  and  advice  are  for  all  the 
world  as  good  as  a  man's.  But  I  must  take  the  respon- 
sibility. I  do  not  complain.  We  all  did  the  best  we 
could  to  avoid  the  situation.  But  it  makes  me  realize  the 
importance  of  our  having  among  the  men  next  year  at 
least  one  who  can  share  responsibility." 

Early  in  February  the  proposition  of  the  Yale  Mission 
taking  the  Shansi  field  of  the  American  Board  was  sug- 
gested. A  visit  to  Pao-ting-fu  to  talk  over  the  matter 
with  Dr.  Atwood,  resulted  in  the  plan  to  visit  the  field  and 
investigate  its  possibilities. 

Rumours  in  American  papers  of  an  uprising  in  China 
were  being  reported  in  Peking  about  this  time  and  per- 
sisted for  several  months,  giving  some  friends  at  home 
needless  anxiety.  Shansi  had  been  the  most  disturbed 
province  at  the  time  of  the  Boxer  outbreak,  and  the 
Thurstons  feared  that  these  rumours  would  cause  their 
friends  weeks  of  uncertainty  regarding  their  safety.  The 
knowledge  that  the  officials  in  Shansi  insisted  upon  pro- 
viding all  foreigners  with  a  guard  of  soldiers  made  them 
feel  that  there  might  be  some  cause  for  this  anxiety,  so 
they  arranged  a  cable  code  by  which  news  of  a  safe  re- 
turn could  be  sent,  reaching  America  almost  as  soon 


230  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

as  the  news  by  letter  of  the  departure  for  Shansi.     The 
second  report  letter  tells  the  story  of  the  trip. 

"  Peking y  China,  April  jo,  IQOJ. 
*'  Dear  Fellows  : 

"  While  our  Shansi  trip  is  fresh  in  mind  I  must  tell 
you  the  story  of  it.  We  went  at  the  suggestion  of  the  mis- 
sionaries here  to  investigate  the  Shansi  field  of  the 
American  Board  with  the  thought  that  perhaps  the  Yale 
Mission  might  find  there  just  the  location  it  is  seeking. 
As  all  the  Board  missionaries  in  Shansi  at  the  time  of  the 
troubles  were  killed,  the  entire  force  must  be  replaced, 
with  the  exception  of  Dr.  Atwood,  who  was  in  America. 
As  it  is  not  easy  to  find  so  many  workers  it  was  thought 
here  that  the  Board  might  be  very  ready  to  give  up  the 
field  if  the  Yale  Mission  desired  it.  The  members  of  the 
Mission  voted  unanimously  to  send  two  delegates,  and 
Mrs.  Thurston  and  I  were  chosen — also  unanimously. 

"  There  was  one  doubt  about  the  wisdom  of  the  trip. 
Would  the  investigations  of  people  who  had  been  here  so 
few  months  be  of  any  value  ?  We  knew  they  would  be 
considered  of  the  greatest  value  by  the  American  public 
who  prefer  fancy  to  facts  and  the  observations  of  a  travel- 
ler to  the  knowledge  of  a  resident,  provided  the  traveller 
is  a  graphic  writer.  (I  will  try  to  discuss  some  time  some 
of  the  recent  books  and  articles  on  China,  so  that  you 
can  see  what  they  are  valued  at  out  here.)  But  we  were 
not  going  to  investigate  for  the  press,  but  for  a  Mission 
which  desired  the  truth.  Still  we  were  urged  to  go  and 
go  we  did.  I  wish  you  could  have  been  with  us.  As 
Dr.  Atwood  was  going,  the  fact  that  we  were  not  glib 
with  the  language  did  not  matter.  Besides  we  had  our 
cook    and   boy   who   understand   our   pidgin    Chinese. 


c 


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<1 


The  Pioneer  Missionary  231 

Thanks  to  the  raihoad,  our  first  two  hundred  miles  were 
very  comfortable  and  quick ;  but  from  there  on  our 
troubles  began.  We  had  gone  the  first  half  of  the  way 
in  ten  hours.  It  took  seven  days  of  ten  hours  each  to 
go  the  last  half.  If  you  could  have  seen  the  roads  and 
the  method  of  travel,  this  would  not  surprise  you.  The 
first  twenty  miles  was  in  a  ♦  long  cart.'  Said  cart  is 
built  Hke  a  two  wheeled  lumber  wagon,  only  much  more 
heavily  and  strongly.  On  to  this  went  all  our  stuff — foods, 
boxes,  trunks,  bed  sacks,  rugs,  etc., — and  we  on  top  of 
all.  Mrs.  Thurston  rode  horseback.  Carts  are  not 
meant  for  women.  As  we  saw  the  roads  that  afternoon 
we  thought  that  surely  nothing  could  be  worse.  Later 
we  learned  to  consider  such  roads  good.  But  in  one 
particular  they  surpassed  anything  we  saw  afterwards. 
In  some  places  they  were  so  narrow  that  our  load  touched 
both  sides  of  the  wall  of  loess  which  rose  twenty  feet 
above  us.  I  shall  never  forget  that  evening  as  we  crawled 
slowly  along  that  narrow  pass  in  the  darkness,  the  whole 
made  more  weird  and  wild  by  the  cries  of  the  soldiers  to 
warn  any  one  coming  the  other  way  that  we  were  in  the 
pass.  Later  we  had  roads  cut  thirty  and  even  forty  feet 
deep  through  that  loess  soil.  In  the  rainy  season  they 
must  be  indescribable.  Now  they  were  merely  deep  with 
an  impalpable  dust,  bad  enough  in  the  calm  but  terrible 
when  the  wind  filled  the  air  with  it.  The  mountain  roads, 
on  the  other  hand,  were  not  loess  but  rocky,  covered 
either  with  loose  stones  or  the  wrecks  of  pavement  which 
the  Ming  dynasty  put  in  hundreds  of  years  ago.  The 
Chinese  do  not  seem  to  care  to  keep  such  works  of 
engineering  in  repair.  All  along  those  mountain  passes 
are  scattered  the  ruins  of  a  former  greatness  ;  great  stone 
bridges  spanning  the  rivers  but  broken  down  so  as  to  be 


232  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

entirely  useless,  once  wide  roads  along  the  mountainside, 
now  hardly  a  cart  path,  and  oh,  what  wrecks  of  pave- 
ments !  When  one  saw  the  Chinese  in  their  carts  jolting, 
pounding  over  that  worse  than  stone  corduroy,  he  realized 
how  nerveless  the  Celestial  really  is. 

"  We  went  in  mule  litters  which  are  not  half  bad,  that 
is  if  you  can  get  used  to  ten  hours  a  day  of  incessant 
motion,  roUing,  pitching,  tumbling,  now  on  this  side, 
now  on  that,  now  trying  to  keep  from  sliding  onto  the 
mule's  back,  and  then  as  you  went  up  a  steep  place  stand- 
ing on  your  head.  You  could  ride  a  horse  or  donkey  if 
you  preferred,  but  when  the  roads  were  especially  bad  I 
preferred  not  to  see  precisely  what  I  was  going  over. 
But  perhaps  you  would  like  to  know  what  a  litter  looks 
like.  I  enclose  some  pictures  which  will  illustrate  them 
better  than  any  description.  They  are  of  two  kinds. 
One  is  a  box  with  a  seat  inside,  supported  by  two  poles 
which  rest  on  the  two  mules  carrying  it.  In  the  other 
the  box  is  replaced  by  ropes  beneath,  which  support  you, 
and  a  straw  matting  above  for  a  roof.  You  fill  them  with 
your  bedding  and  rugs,  and  pad  things  as  thoroughly  as 
possible  for  reasons  which  can  be  easily  guessed  from  the 
above.  When  you  feel  like  it  you  walk  unless  the  roads 
are  muddy,  as  they  were  coming  down,  when  you  have  to 
ride — or  slide.  New  Haven  never  furnished  such  mud. 
Illinois  gives  you  a  fairly  good  sample. 

"  The  scenery  was  interesting  and  often  beautiful,  even 
though  the  country  was  bare  and  brown,  because  of  the 
grandeur  of  those  mountains.  And  when  not  beautiful 
there  was  much  that  was  intensely  interesting.  We  were 
far  enough  from  the  influence  of  the  foreigner  to  see  the 
Chinese  much  as  they  are  and  have  been  for  centuries. 
Only  in  a  country  where  human  labour  is  pitiably  cheap 


The  Pioneer  Missionary  233 

could  such  an  amount  of  work  be  put  upon  the  land. 
Every  inch  available  was  used,  and  sometimes  the  moun- 
tains were  terraced  to  their  very  tops.  Where  the  crops 
needed  irrigation  the  fields  were  laid  out  in  little  plots 
separated  by  banks  and  all  connecting  with  the  main 
ditches  which  ran  from  the  well.  It  all  seemed  like  a 
picture  of  children  at  play  until  one  realized  that  instead 
it  was  real  men  struggling  for  the  barest  necessities  of 
life.  Draught  animals  were  common  but  often  it  was  the 
men  that  carried  the  loads  and  once  or  twice  I  even  saw 
men  drawing  the  plow. 

"  At  night  we  stopped  in  inns.  These  are  sometimes 
very  good.  At  other  times  they  were  merely  cave 
houses,  and  damp  and  dismal,  I  assure  you.  A  good 
Chinese  inn  is  not  to  be  despised.  The  buildings  are 
arranged  in  a  square  around  a  courtyard.  The  kitchen 
and  gate  house  are  at  the  street  end  and  the  guest-rooms 
at  the  opposite  side.  To  the  right  and  left  are  the 
shelters  for  the  mules  and  horses.  The  rooms  are  fur- 
nished with  a  bed  (that  is  a  k'ang,  consisting  of  a  brick 
platform  with  a  fire  under  it),  a  table,  and  possibly  a  chair 
or  two.  In  summer  they  are  furnished  with  other  things. 
That  is  the  reason  why  we  were  glad  our  trip  was  in  the 
winter.  If  the  k'ang  fire  was  burning,  the  room  was 
fairly  warm,  and  if  it  had  burned  long  enough  it  was  free 
from  gas.  As  we  had  army  cots  we  were  not  uncom- 
fortable, and  once  in  bed  we  were  warm.  The  rest  of  the 
time  we  dressed  in  furs. 

"  They  say  you  can  live  on  Chinese  food  and  I  guess 
it  is  true.  But  as  nature  agrees  to  furnish  but  one 
stomach,  we  thought  it  best  to  live  on  foreign  food  dur- 
ing our  first  trip.  Even  as  it  was  we  lived  on  the  coun- 
try as  much  as  possible,  and  canned  stuff  was  rarely  used 


234  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

with  the  exception  of  the  faithful  tin  cow  which  we 
milked  three  times  a  day.  On  the  return  trip  we 
practiced  more  on  Chinese  food  and  found  some  of  it 
very  good.  We  ordered  it  every  time  it  promised  to  be 
palatable,  and  I  tell  you  if  you  want  to  live  cheaply  just 
eat  as  the  Chinese  do.  One  lunch  cost  me  two  cents, 
and  consisted  of  five  hard  boiled  eggs  and  a  couple  of 
biscuit.  The  way  we  ate  eggs  reminded  me  of  college 
commons  when  George  Langford  would  calmly  dispose 
of  thirteen  and  Harry  Hincks  of  seven. 

"  I  spoke  of  soldiers  above.  They  were  always  with  us. 
Of  little  use  I  fear,butthey  looked  well  and  were  good  com- 
pany. The  officials  seemed  extremely  anxious  that  noth- 
ing should  happen  to  foreigners.  That  trouble  in  Hunan 
last  year  which  cost  three  of  them  their  heads  has  had  a 
salutary  effect  in  many  places.  They  handle  us  with 
care.  In  Tai  Yuen  Dr.  Atwood  was  quite  bothered  by 
their  insisting  on  guarding  the  place  where  he  stayed  with 
soldiers.  In  Tai  Ku  not  only  were  soldiers  furnished  but 
we  received  other  attentions  including  an  invitation  from 
the  magistrate  to  a  feast.  As  we  were  to  start  home  the 
next  day  we  could  not  accept.  So  he  sent  the  same 
evening  to  me  (the  feast  was  in  my  honour  as  I  was  the 
new  foreigner  in  town)  two  bottles  of  German  beer.  The 
wine  has  always  been  considered  the  most  important  part 
of  the  feast  and  now  that  beer  has  taken  its  place  with 
the  officials,  it  is  always  sent  to  the  guest  if  he  cannot 
accept  the  invitation.  We  had  a  good  laugh  over  it,  and 
I  knew  you  would  all  enjoy  the  joke.  I  said  at  once  that 
I  must  write  the  fellows  about  that. 

"  It  took  us  seven  days  from  Cheng  Ting  Fu,  this  side 
of  the  mountains  in  Chili,  to  Tai  Yuen,  the  capital  of 
Shansi.     There  we  stayed  three  days  as  the  guests  of  Mr. 


The  Pioneer  Missionary  235 

Moir  Duncan,  principal  of  the  Imperial  University  of 
Shansi.  He  was  formerly  working  under  the  English 
Baptist  Board  in  Shansi,  but  when  the  government  began 
to  organize  these  universities  after  the  troubles  in  1900, 
he  accepted  the  position  in  order^to  reach,  if  possible,  the 
official  classes  and  help  lift  them  out  of  their  dense  igno- 
rance. Those  three  days  were  especially  profitable  to  us 
because  of  the  interest  he  took  in  the  Yale  Mission.  In 
some  ways  he  gave  us  a  new  conception  of  the  possibili- 
ties before  the  Mission.  I  wish  you  could  have  heard 
him  talk.  In  fact  I  wish  you  could  hear  several  of  the 
missionaries  we  have  met  talk  of  the  Mission.  For  my- 
self I  have  to  keep  cool  in  order  not  to  appear  hke  an  en- 
thusiast, but  if  I  can  get  the  other  man  to  show  the 
enthusiasm  of  his  own  accord  it  is  a  point  gained.  There 
was  little  to  see  in  Tai  Yuen  and  we  saw  less.  It  is  a 
small  broken  down  city  even  if  it  is  the  capital. 

"  From  there  we  went  to  Tai  Ku,  one  of  the  centers  of 
the  American  Board's  work.  All  but  the  weakest  mem- 
bers of  the  church  there  had  been  killed  by  the  Boxers 
and  it  must  be  reorganized  from  foundation  up.  Still  the 
work  of  the  twenty  years  has  not  been  lost,  for  the  con- 
fidence of  the  people  has  been  gained,  and  the  mission- 
aries have  won  a  position  for  themselves  such  as  only  time 
could  secure.  This  may  sound  strange  considering  the 
reputation  of  the  province  ;  but  we  should  remember  that 
the  officials  who  stirred  up  the  people,  and  led  the  attack 
upon  the  foreigners,  were  from  other  provinces.  Some 
do  not  feel  that  the  friendliness  is  more  than  skin  deep, 
but  certainly  in  all  the  places  we  passed  through  there 
was  not  a  sign  of  hostility.  The  people  were  merely 
curious.  Both  in  Tai  Ku  and  Fen  Cho  Fu  the  services 
Dr.  Atwood  held  on  Sunday  were  well  attended  and  in 


236  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

Fen  Cho  Fu  by  many  well-to-do  people.  In  Fen  Cho 
Fu  none  of  the  church-members  were  killed,  although 
they  suffered  terrible  persecutions.  The  church  there  has 
not  yet  been  reorganized  but  is  in  good  condition,  and 
through  a  young  people's  society  is  doing  aggressive 
work  against  opium  smoking,  foot-binding,  gambling, 
and  is  carrying  on  preaching  in  the  region  near  by.  Both 
churches  are  without  any  foreign  help  save  what  Dr.  At- 
wood  can  give  on  his  visits,  and  I  tell  you  the  appeal  was 
strong  as  you  saw  how  eager  they  were  for  missionaries 
to  come  to  them. 

"  It  is  one  of  the  things  that  astonishes  me  most  to  see 
how  the  people  here  are  willing  to  associate  with  the 
foreigner  and  are  willing  and  eager  to  join  the  church,  al- 
though they  have  seen  so  recently  what  a  terrible  price 
many  paid  who  had  been  connected  either  with  the 
foreigner  or  the  Christian  Church.  This  is  true  in  Shansi 
as  it  is  in  Chili.  While  we  were  in  Tai  Ku  three  substan- 
tial merchants  in  town  applied  to  be  put  on  probation  for 
church-membership. 

"  We  were  given  two  feasts  which  were  a  good  illus- 
tration of  friendliness.  It  will  be  enough  to  describe  one 
of  them,  but  here  again  I  just  wish  you  could  have  been 
with  us.  The  feast  was  at  noon  and  we  very  properly 
came  on  time.  But  the  feast  did  not,  and  before  it  was 
served  we  had  developed  appetites  equal  to  any  emer- 
gency of  Chinese  food.  Much  to  Mrs.  Thurston's 
chagrin  the  women  had  to  eat  in  a  separate  room,  the 
result  being  that  for  four  hours  she  had  to  be  shut  up  with 
Chinese  women  whose  faces  suggested  few  powers  of 
conversation,  and  her  Chinese  was  equal  to  less.  We  men 
on  the  other  hand  had  a  good  time,  although  I  smiled  and 
laughed  more  than  I  talked.     The  party  consisted  of  a 


The  Pioneer  Missionary  237 

banker,  a  merchant,  a  freighter,  a  scholar,  a  teacher,  and 
the  doctor  and  myself.  They  were  an  interesting  group. 
Our  host  was  Dr.  Atwood's  medical  assistant,  a  fine  Chris- 
tian man.  At  the  other  feast  we  were  guests  of  the 
scholar  I  spoke  of,  a  direct  descendant  of  Confucius. 
But  his  guests  were  not  as  representative  a  group  as  the 
other's.  It  was  an  interesting  thing  that  at  both  feasts 
they  asked  Dr.  Atwood  to  ask  the  blessing.  It  was  a  sign 
of  respect  which  was  well  worth  remembering.     But  back 

to  the  feast. 

«  We  were  seated  around  a  great  lacquered  table.     I 
was  glad  there  was  no  cloth  before  we  were  through.     At 
the  second  feast  the  table  had  to  be  cleared  before  we 
could  finish.     I  do  not  mean  that  we  threw  the  food  around ; 
but  the  plates  were  merely  very  small  saucers,  and  chop- 
sticks are  not  adapted  to  really  dainty  work.     Fortunately 
the  doctor  and  I  had  forks.     The  food  was  brought  on  m 
little  bowls  which  were  set  in  the  middle  of  the  table,  and 
from  them  every  one  helped— not  himself  but  every  one 
else.     I  was  soon  on  to  that  bit  of  etiquette  and  with  my 
fork  I  became  a  formidable  rival  to  the  rest  in  their  at- 
tempts to  be  the  first  to  help  the  others.     As  each  course 
appeared  every  one  would  reach  for  all  he  could  spear 
and  deposit  it  upon  his  neighbour's  plate.     This  would 
go  on  until  each  had  as  much  as  he  wanted  and  often 
more.     The  food  at  both  feasts  was  probably  unusually 
well   adapted   to    foreigners.     At   least  we  managed  to 
dispose  of  it  and    I   confess   it  had  its  attractions.     It 
would   be   impossible   to   describe  it  in  detail,  but  you 
must    at    least    know    the   general   bill    of  fare.     The 
first    course   was    sweetmeats    and    cold   dishes— dried 
cherries,  sugared  citron,  small  raisins,  watermelon  seeds, 
sliced  tripe,  pressed  meat,  cold  ham,  ducks'  eggs,  eggs 


238  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

pickled  in  lime  until  the  yolks  are  green  and  the  whites 
amber,  seaweeds,  Irish  moss,  and  lichens.  The  other 
courses  came  on  in  hopeless  variety  and  we  did  not  try 
to  distinguish  them.  But  we  had  to  eat  pickled  jelly- 
fish, lily  root,  clams,  fried  chicken  breast,  fried  ducks'  eggs, 
fried  lean  pork,  roast  and  fried  mutton,  yam  cakes,  cuttle- 
fish, mussels,  sea-slugs,  sharks'  fins,  and  a  number  of 
elaborate  Chinese  combinations.  Some  of  the  above 
sound  quite  homelike  but  I  assure  you,  you  would  not 
recognize  them,  and  unless  we  had  been  told  we  might 
never  have  known  what  we  were  eating.  The  Chinese 
fondness  for  sea  food  is  seen  in  the  number  of  sea  prod- 
ucts they  have  at  their  feasts  even  in  Shansi,  so  many 
days  from  the  coast. 

"  One  of  the  things  which  makes  this  Shansi  field  so 
attractive  is  that  not  only  are  foundations  already  laid  in 
the  confidence  of  the  people,  but  also  that  a  very  fine 
property  stands  ready  for  use  with  but  comparatively  few 
repairs.  There  are  buildings  for  missionary  houses,  for 
chapels,  schools,  hospitals,  and  land  for  further  additions 
when  needed.  In  Tai  Ku  the  government  gave  to  the 
Mission  a  beautiful  park  as  a  burying  ground  for  the 
martyrs.  The  graves  have  been  placed  in  one  corner  and 
the  rest  is  available  for  either  a  hospital  or  a  college.  The 
park  is  filled  with  great  trees  and  in  its  prime  was  ideally 
beautiful  from  the  Chinese  standpoint  and  even  from 
ours. 

"  There  is  no  question  to  my  mind  that  this  field  offers 
a  most  attractive  opening  for  a  mission  of  six  or  eight 
men.  Everything  stands  ready  for  advance  and  results 
seem  assured  in  the  immediate  future.  I  came  away 
from  Shansi  very  much  in  love  with  the  province  and 
the  work  there.     You  may  ask  me  why  we  therefore 


The  Pioneer  Missionary  239 

advised  that  the  Yale  Mission  wait  at  least  until  it  had 
investigated  other  fields.  Simply  because  I  believe  the 
Yale  Mission  has  greater  things  before  it  than  it  could 
possibly  find  room  for  in  Shansi.  Furthermore  Shansi 
is  not  as  strategic  a  field  as  some  others,  and  it  stands  to 
reason  that  it  is  our  duty  to  enter  the  most  strategic  field 
available.  Everything  seems  to  indicate  that  we  shall 
find  a  greater  opening  elsewhere.  We  next  turn  to  the 
Yangtse  Valley,  and  by  spending  the  summer  in  Kuling 
in  the  mountains  near  Kiu  Kiang  we  hope  to  get  light 
upon  all  that  region  from  the  missionaries  we  shall  meet 
there.     Of  that  I  will  tell  you  later. 

"  Our  return  trip  was  largely  interesting  because  the 
doctor  did  not  come  with  us,  and  for  six  days  we  did  not 
see  a  foreign  face  or  hear  a  word  of  English  excepting 
from  each  other.  It  was  good  fun  and  we  were  delighted 
to  see  how  our  Chinese  tongues  were  loosed  by  the  neces- 
sities of  the  case.  We  also  had  the  joy  of  both  snow  and 
rain  which  turned  the  dust  into  terrible  mud  and  made 
the  roads  like  toboggan  slides.  The  mules  had  to  be 
held  up  and  even  then  fell  many  times.  As  we  were 
pushing  to  get  home  we  did  not  allow  them  to  stop 
except  when  there  was  real  reason,  although  the  mule- 
teers seemed  possessed  to  go  as  slowly  as  they  could. 
The  last  morning  we  capped  the  climax  by  starting  at 
half-past  four  when  it  was  still  dark.  The  cook  was  ex- 
cited and  wanted  my  rifle,  but  we  were  really  well  pro- 
tected, for  the  magistrate  had  sent  us  four  mounted 
soldiers.  There  was  no  danger  anyway,  except  from 
robbers  and,  being  foreigners,  we  were  probably  safe 
from  them.  We  travelled  armed  only  because  it  was 
more  sensible  in  a  wild  country.  Thanks  to  our  early 
start  we  made  our  train  and  soon  were  in  civilization 


240  A  Life   With  a  Purpose 

again.  Oh,  how  glad  we  were  to  get  back  home  !  We 
had  had  a  most  dehghtful  and  profitable  trip,  but  we 
found  the  comforts  of  home  very  welcome  nevertheless. 

"  As  this  letter  is  already  longer  than  many  of  you 
may  wish  it  were,  I  will  not  try  to  bring  the  news  up  to 
date.  "  Very  sincerely, 

"  J.  Lawrence  Thurston." 

Just  before  starting  out  on  the  Shansi  trip  a  letter  was 
received  from  Lobenstine,  Yale  '95,  in  answer  to  one 
written  soon  after  the  Thurstons'  arrival  in  Peking  asking 
for  any  suggestions.  "  In  it  he  urges  very  strongly  that 
we  confine  ourselves  to  educational  work  on  the  broadest 
scale.  It  is  the  position  which  Lewis  took  in  Shanghai. 
As  this  would  make  Shansi  possibly  unwise  it  comes  as 
rather  a  wet  blanket  on  the  day  before  we  start.  Still  it 
is  one  of  the  many  pieces  of  advice  that  I  am  so  eager  to 
get  no  matter  how  confusing  and  disconcerting  they  may 
be.  His  arguments  appeal  to  me  strongly  and  I  send 
them  on  because  I  am  anxious  that  all  such  things  should 
reach  the  committee  in  the  best  possible  form." 

The  report  on  the  Shansi  proposition  was  a  work  of 
weeks  and  a  remarkably  comprehensive  statement.  The 
province,  its  resources,  its  people,  its  future  ;  the  work  al- 
ready done  by  the  American  Board,  possibilities  of  expan- 
sion, size  of  mission  involved,  possibilities  for  educational 
work  ;  with  reasons  for  and  against  Shansi  as  a  field  for  the 
Yale  Mission  :  all  these  were  included  with  authorities 
given  for  all  important  facts  and  opinions.  The  Counter 
Proposition  is  worth  quoting  in  full : 

Counter  Proposition 
"  Nothing   to   my  mind   counterbalances  this   oppor- 
tunity but   a  greater  possibility  which  lies  in  another 


The  Pioneer  Missionary  241 

direction  both  as  to  field  and  work.  China  to-day  needs 
Christian  Universities  of  such  equipment  and  standard 
that  they  will  be  able  to  more  than  rival  the  Imperial 
Universities.     She  needs  them  because  — 

«  I.  Without  them  a  higher  education  can  be  ob- 
tained only  in  anti-Christian  institutions. 

"  2.  Without  them  the  Church  will  be  unable  to  keep 
pace  with  the  thinking  men  of  the  empire ;  her  pastors 
will  be  unable  to  meet  the  best  minds  in  their  congrega- 
tion on  an  equal  footing. 

"  It  is  quite  fair  to  say  that  the  regular  mission  boards 
will  be  unable  to  establish  these.  They  have  neither  the 
men  nor  the  money  to  spare.  What  they  do  establish 
are  institutions  of  comparatively  low  grade  and  denomi- 
national in  character,  and  cooperation  seems  still  far  off. 
If  this  be  true  independent  enterprise  must  meet  the 

emergency. 

"  The  Yale  Mission  is  just  such  an  enterprise. 

''I.     It  is  able  to  man  and  equip  such  a  university. 

<'  2.     It  is  free  to  choose  its  field  and  work. 

"  3.     It  is  undenominational  and  therefore  able  to  work 

for  all. 

"  4.  A  negative  reason  is  that  being  undenommational 
the  question  as  to  what  native  church  should  be  estab- 
lished, if  regular  mission  work  should  be  undertaken,  is 
very  difficult  of  solution.  Mr.  Lowrie  has  up  to  the 
present  seen  no  way  out  of  this  difficulty,  and  con- 
siders it  the  most  serious  which  the  Mission  has  to 
face— a  strong  reason  for  confining  the  work  to  edu- 
cation. 

"  If  it  undertook  such  a  work  — 

"I.  It  would  supply  for  a  large  territory  the  much 
needed  Christian  university. 


242  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

"  2.  It  would  relieve  the  boards  in  that  territory  from 
attempting  such  work. 

"  3.  It  would  be  welcomed  as  a  blessing  and  not  re- 
ceived as  another  questionable  enterprise,  an  *  independ- 
ent mission.' 

"  4.  It  would  have  an  opportunity  than  which  it  could 
find  no  greater,  and  serve  China  as  it  could  in  no  other 
way. 

"  5.  With  the  help  of  its  large  hospital  it  would  be 
able  to  do  a  work  in  medical  education  which  has  not 
been  done  in  China  and  is  greatly  needed. 

"  The  enterprise  to  succeed  would  require  — 

"  I.  The  choice  of  one  of  the  most  strategic  centers 
in  the  empire. 

"  2.  A  Christian  constituency  and  nucleus  without 
which  it  would  be  heathen  in  reality  though  not  in  name, 
or  at  best  a  most  difficult  field  for  work.  This  nucleus 
could  only  be  supplied  by  — 

"  3.  The  hearty  cooperation  of  the  missions  in  as 
large  a  surrounding  field  as  could  be  reached  — 

"  {a)     In  sending  to  it  their  students. 

"  (p)     In  giving  it  moral  support. 

**  {c)  In  treating  it  as  the  educational  mission  center 
for  the  region. 

"  4.  A  corps  of  teachers  fitted  to  teach  their  subjects 
with  honour  to  the  university,  but  also  of  such  a  type 
that  the  prime  object  of  their  work  would  tiever  be  for- 
gotten— to  carry  on  a  Christian  university  with  a  Chris- 
tian influence  in  the  empire,  graduating  students  who 
had  had  every  noble  influence  brought  to  bear  on  them 
to  lead  them  to  Christ.  (This  cannot  be  overemphasized 
for  it  would  be  the  great  struggle  throughout  the  history 
of  the  institution.) 


The  Pioneer  Missionary  243 

"  5.     An  equipment  equal  to  the  best  in  China. 

"  With  such  a  possibility  before  the  Mission  I  believe 
we  would  not  be  justified  in  taking  the  most  attractive 
opportunity  in  Shansi  until  we  had  seriously  considered 
the  educational  plan  and  investigated  other  centers.  It 
may  be  that  no  better  center  can  be  found  than  in 
southern  Shansi,  e,  g.,  Chang  Cho  or  Ping  Yang. 
If  this  should  prove  to  be  the  case  it  would  be  quite 
worth  considering  whether  it  would  not  be  wise 
to  have  a  general  mission  work  connected  with  the 
educational  as  a  balance  to  it.  In  this  event  the  Shansi 
work   of   the   American  Board   might  still   be   under- 

taken. 

«'  There  is  at  least  one  other  center  which  I  feel  should 
be  investigated  before  any  decision  is  made,  and  that  is 
Chang-Sha,  or,  better,  the  Province  of  Hunan.     Every- 
thing I  have  heard  of  Hunan  suggests  that  in  the  future 
it  will  be  a  most  important  province.     (Mr.  Lutley,  leader 
of  the  China  Inland  Mission  work  in  Shansi,  and  who 
has  given  his  life  to  that  province,  admitted  frankly  that 
Hunan  had  a  greater  future  than  Shansi.)     I  have  learned 
nothing  to  the  contrary.     All  that  is  said  against  it  is 
that    it    is    still    opposed    to    foreigners    and    may   at 
any   time    drive    them    out;     and    that   its   chmate   is 
not  as  good   as  North  China.     If  Hunan  were  chosen 
it    is    quite    possible    that    the    Mission    would    have 
uphill    work    for    some    years    especially   if    it  under- 
took   a    general    missionary   work.     The   contrast   be- 
tween the  start  in   Hunan  and  in  Shansi  is  of  course 
striking.      But     this    should    not    affect    the    decision. 
The  Mission  seeks  the  field  of  the  greatest  future  im- 
portance." 

Study  was  resumed  at  once  after  the  return  to  Peking, 


244  ^  ^^^'^  With  a  Purpose 

in  spite  of  the  work  of  these  reports.  Letters  written 
about  this  time  give  some  idea  of  the  work  which  filled 
these  days  to  the  full : 

"  April  4.th. 
"  Beach  finds  that  he  cannot  come  this  fall.  I  am 
glad  of  this  for  many  reasons,  but  especially  because  it 
gives  us  his  time  later  when  we  need  it  most.  But  I  am 
sorry  because  it  throws  the  responsibility  for  the  investi- 
gation of  fields  largely  on  me  unless  the  decision  is  to  be 
delayed  longer  than  it  at  present  seems  wise.  I  do  not 
like  this  responsibility,  and  am  hoping  I  see  a  way  out 
of  some  of  it  by  enlisting  the  help  of  one  or  two  experi- 
enced missionaries  to  go  with  me  to  investigate  the 
fields.  The  possibility  of  this  was  one  of  the  reasons 
which  decided  us  not  to  start  at  once  to  investigate 
Hunan.  We  had  been  advised  to  go  this  spring  and  had 
about  decided  to  start  at  once  when  this  new  suggestion 
came  and  that,  coupled  with  the  fact  that  we  could  per- 
fect plans  for  the  trip  if  we  waited  till  fall,  made  us  decide 
against  it.  One  morning  I  was  on  the  point  of  cabling 
Beach  for  orders.  It  is  no  fun  to  have  to  decide  these 
things  entirely  upon  your  own  responsibility.  I 
do  not  know  at  all  what  the  committee  would 
wish  if  they  had  all  the  facts  before  them  as  we  have. 
This  decision  is  a  great  relief  to  us  because  we 
wanted  to  stay  at  home  for  a  while  and  have  a 
chance  to  study.  Our  progress  with  the  language 
has  been  very  slow,  and  although  good  reports  have 
reached  the  outside  I  do  not  quite  see  the  basis  in 
fact,  except  in  our  very  real  desire  to  have  a  chance 
to  study.  Sometimes  it  seems  as  if  there  was  no 
hope." 


The  Pioneer  Missionary  245 

'*  Apfil  ph. 
"  To  Mr.  Beach  : 

"  As  to  study  and  outside  work,  you  already  know 
that  I  have  resigned  from  several  of  the  positions  of 
which  I  wrote.  This  has  reduced  matters  largely  to  a 
question  of  study,  correspondence  and  the  incessant  and 
varying  calls  upon  one's  time  in  Peking.  As  to  the  last 
point,  Peking  is  not  a  good  place  to  study  but  a  fine 
place  to  begin  your  missionary  life  in  other  ways.  For 
instance,  last  week  all  but  one  evening  was  taken  and 
this  week  all  but  three.  With  six  hours  a  day  for  study, 
and  that  is  what  I  mean  to  put  in,  one's  devotions,  exer- 
cise and  the  inevitable  interruptions,  nothing  but  the 
evenings  remain  for  anything  else.  If  those  are  taken 
your  correspondence  is  out.  As  correspondence  is  part 
of  my  business  it  has  to  come  in.  Till  I  clear  the  decks 
of  these  reports,  outfit  lists,  letters  to  my  supporters  on 
Shansi,  letters  to  missionaries  in  China  on  the  location 
question,  etc.,  I  have  made  up  my  mind  to  study  four 
hours  and  write  the  other  two  and  evenings.  I  am  try- 
ing not  to  overwork,  but  my  days  are  full  to  the  last 
notch,  morning,  noon  and  night." 

"  May  7,  igoj. 
"  To  Henry  Wright  : 

"  I  never  knew  what  it  was  to  be  busy  till  I  came 
out  here.  To  illustrate,  it  has  sometimes  taken  me  a 
week  to  finish  an  important  letter  to  Mr.  Beach.  Mrs. 
Thurston  thinks  I  work  too  hard,  too  incessantly.  Perhaps 
I  do,  but  I  try  to  keep  well  and  exercise.  My  correspond- 
ence, that  is  very  important  correspondence,  is  simply 
hopelessly  behind.  Next  year,  I  trust,  there  will  be 
others  here  to  share  the  Mission  business.     .     .     . 


246  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

♦*  I  was  touched  by  the  fact  that  we  were  remembered 
on  the  day  of  prayer  by  the  college.  I  can  tell  you  we 
need  it,  Henry.  I  suppose  there  lies  a  greater  oppor- 
tunity before  the  Yale  Mission  than  ever  lay  before  any 
similar  group  of  Missionaries.  To  find  just  the  work 
which  we  should  do  and  the  place  to  do  it  in  means  a 
great  deal  of  careful  investigation.  My  whole  concep- 
tion of  the  work  and  the  possibilities  has  changed  and 
grown  since  coming  to  China  and  before  the  future  I 
feel  like  a  child." 

Very  early  in  the  year  Lawrence  began  to  feel  the  in- 
spiration of  the  vision  of  opportunity  which  came  from  a 
closer  acquaintance  with  the  situation  in  which  he  found 
himself.     In  a  letter  to  the  Committee  at  Yale,  he  writes : 

"  December  26,  igo2. 
"  It  is  agreed  by  all  that  such  an  opportunity  never 
offered  for  uplifting  a  people,  and  I  believe  Yale  is  to  be 
congratulated  on  being  ready  to  begin  her  work  at  the 
very  opening  of  this  new  era  in  China.  If  Yale  can 
establish  a  strong  educational  work,  supplemented  by 
medical  and  kept  true  to  its  purpose  by  the  inspiration 
received  from  vigorous  evangelistic  effort  she  will  be 
doing  a  service  to  China  which  even  China  herself  will 
not  finally  fail  to  recognize.  Yet  we  cannot  expect  im- 
mediate results.  As  I  find  myself  in  the  midst  of  this 
ancient  and  supremely  conservative  civilization  it  seems 
to  me  unreasonable  to  look  for  far-reaching  results  short 
of  perhaps  generations.  But  our  immediate  work  is  clear, 
to  select  the  most  strategic  field  available  and  to  train  men 
for  it  as  rapidly  as  possible.  To  this  we  should  bend 
every  effort  and  we  look  to  all  Yale  men  for  the  heartiest 
support  in  the  enterprise.'* 


The  Pioneer  Missionary  247 

The  Shansi  trip  gave  a  clear  understanding  of  the  need 
for  workers  if  Christian  work  was  to  keep  pace  with  the 
development  of  events  in  the  new  China.  Although  at- 
tention was  necessarily  focussed  on  the  special  problem 
of  the  Yale  Mission,  Lawrence  never  lost  sight  of  the 
great  whole  of  which  the  Mission  in  which  he  was  work- 
ing was  only  a  part.  He  was  not  and  never  could  have 
been  a  special  pleader  for  his  own  work.  Even  the  great 
need  in  the  foreign  field  and  its  wonderful  opportunities 
did  not  blind  him  to  the  needs  and  opportunities  at  home. 
He  wrote  to  his  classmates  at  Hartford  Seminary: 

"  But  fellows,  those  of  you  whom  God  has  called  to 
work  in  America  have  a  great  work  too.  As  one  reads 
of  what  is  going  on  there  and  of  the  forces  that  make  for 
wickedness  as  well  as  for  righteousness,  he  is  tempted  to 
long  for  a  dozen  lives,  at  least  one  of  which  might  be  put 
in  to  help  save  America.  You  have  a  great  work  ahead 
of  you  in  facing  and  solving  all  the  questions  that  are 
coming  up  these  days  and  in  bringing  Christ  to  men  who 
know  of  Him  but  do  not  know  Him." 

Commenting  later  on  the  general  need  of  workers  in 
China,  he  says : 

''April  26th. 
"  Oh,  I  don't  see  how  men  can  stay  in  ordinary  work 
if  they  can  possibly  get  into  a  mission  field  either  at 
home  or  abroad.  When  they  cannot  I  am  just  sorry  for 
them.  But  even  if  they  cannot  their  part  is  desperately 
important  for  they  can  help  train  the  Church  to  send  its 
children  and  its  money  to  such  work  as  this.  But  the 
trouble  is  they  do  not.     If  a  man  leaves  the  seminary 


248  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

without  fairly  facing  the  question  of  a  call  to  the  foreign 
field  he  cannot  get  his  church  to  do  anything.  He 
probably  would  be  unwilling  to  let  his  children  go.  And 
as  many  seminary  men  go  out  without  any  idea  of  giving 
generously  from  their  own  salaries,  no  wonder  the  churches 
of  which  they  have  charge  do  not  give.  Unfortunately 
in  saying  this  I  speak  of  that  which  I  do  know.  The 
need  in  the  North  China  Mission  of  the  Board  for  men  is 
simply  appalling.  If  the  need  in  other  countries  is  as 
bad,  I  do  not  see  what  can  be  done." 

Again  to  a  group  of  Hartford  Seminary  classmates 
Lawrence  writes  : 

"  There  are  some  inconveniences  in  life  here.  I  may 
tell  you  of  them  some  time  just  for  the  fun  of  it,  but  oh, 
fellows,  these  things  amount  to  nothing.  The  joy  of  the 
work  is  far  greater  than  any  of  these  little  things.  You 
know  you  are  keeping  no  one  out  of  a  job  by  being  here. 
You  know  that  no  one  is  waiting  for  something  to  hap- 
pen to  you  before  they  can  get  a  chance.  There  is  work 
for  every  one  and  places  for  three  times  as  many  as  are 
here.  In  most  cases  the  Chinese  do  not  exactly  want 
you.  Neither  did  the  world  welcome  Christ,  nor  has  it 
welcomed  His  representatives  in  all  the  centuries.  But 
you  know  they  need  you.  It  does  not  take  an  average 
intelligence  to  see  that,  unless  one  believes  that  Christ 
has  nothing  to  offer.  There  is  deep-dyed  corruption  in 
America  and  I  am  very  fond  of  reminding  those  who 
despise  the  Chinese  of  that  fact.  But  in  America  there 
is  a  great  body  of  men  and  women  who  hate  that  corrup- 
tion and  are  working  for  its  overthrow.  Here  there  is 
no  such  sentiment  save  among  the  Christians  and  a  few 
reformers.     ,     .     . 


The  Pioneer  Missionary  249 

"  The  missionaries  of  China  are  asking  for  a  doubling 
of  their  number  in  the  next  three  years.  Every  one  of 
the  number  is  needed  and  can  be  used.  The  statement 
to  be  sent  home  is  not  yet  out  but  when  you  see  it  read 
it  carefully  and  if  any  of  you  are  looking  for  a  larger 
field  where  you  can  wield  a  greater  influence — and  where 
perhaps  the  sacrifice  is  greater — think  the  proposition 
over." 


Perhaps  because  he  realized  this  greater  need  he  was 
the  more  eager  to  have  the  Yale  Mission  do  its  work  in 
the  largest  way  and  count  for  the  very  most  in  the  re- 
generation of  China.  Up  to  the  end  of  April  no  word  of 
any  decision  regarding  the  change  from  a  general  to  a 
specific  work  along  educational  lines  had  come  from 
America.  His  own  conception  of  the  work  was  growing 
by  leaps  and  bounds,  aided  by  the  suggestions  of  friends 
who  saw  the  possibilities  in  the  Yale  Mission.  This  con- 
ception of  the  work  is  stated  in  a  group  of  letters  written 
in  the  spring  of  1903. 

"  May  ist 
"  My  own  ambition  for  the  Mission  is  that  it  seek  to 
serve  China  by  cooperating  with  the  existing  missionary 
work  and  by  doing  a  work  which  the  existing  societies 
cannot  do  but  which  will  be  an  aid  to  all.  This  is  not 
my  own  idea  but  one  given  me  by  some  with  whom  I 
have  talked.  And  even  in  this  I  am  ready  to  change. 
My  one  desire  is  that  we  do  what  God  has  planned  for 
us.     Even   yet  I  have  no  preconceived  notions.     But, 

H ,  in  undertaking  such  a  work  we  must  have  men 

of  the  greatest  ability  and  spiritual  power." 


250  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

This  need  for  men  called  forth  the  following  letters, 
one  setting  forth  the  Yale  Mission  as  an  opportunity  for 
a  physician  and  the  other  its  opportunity  in  teaching. 

**  A  few  of  the  missionaries  here  have  been  the  ones 
to  arouse  my  high  hopes  and  ideals  for  the  Mission.  I 
came  to  China  with  much  simpler  ideas.  Even  yet  they 
are  but  ideals  and  I  realize  fully  the  difficulties.  Al- 
though I  have  received  no  word  from  the  committee 
favouring  the  broad  educational  plan,  it  is  the  one  that 
so  strongly  appeals  to  me  that  I  will  outline  it  first.  I 
very  much  doubt  if  we  carry  out  any  other,  although  my 
summer  in  the  Yangtse  Valley  will  throw  much  light  on 
that  subject. 

"  The  plan  suggested  is  this.  Choose  the  most  strategic 
center  in  China,  presumably  a  city  in  the  Yangtse  Valley. 
Establish  there  an  educational  center  which  will  aim  at 
supplementing  the  work  of  the  boards  in  as  large  a 
region  as  is  accessible.  The  government  universities 
will  in  the  end  be  stronger  than  the  missionaries'  colleges 
and  yet  the  boards  can  hardly  afford  to  compete  with 
them.  Yale  can.  She  can  establish  an  institution  that 
will  rival  any  in  the  land.  In  this  she  will  need  the 
hearty  cooperation  of  all  the  societies  in  our  immediate 
field  at  least.  But  this  can  probably  be  secured  if  we  can 
show  them  that  we  do  not  plan  to  rival  existing  schools 
but  go  beyond  them  and  also  furnish  the  educational 
center  for  such  missions  as  have  no  educational  work. 
Such  an  institution  will  in  the  end  require  a  college  de- 
partment, a  medical,  law,  and  if  possible  a  theological 
department.  It  will  have  an  opportunity  through  its 
hospital  not  only  of  relieving  suffering  but  of  studying 
Oriental    diseases,   and    training    the   Chinese   medical 


The  Pioneer  Missionary  251 

students  to  meet  them.  Through  university  extension  it 
will  be  able  to  reach  large  numbers  of  the  literati  in  its 
own  and  surrounding  cities.  It  will  also  be  able  through 
evangelistic  work  carried  on  systematically  in  the  region 
around  to  supplement  the  same  kind  of  work  in  other 
missions  and  to  keep  its  own  evangelistic  spirit  bright. 
This  last  point  I  feel  is  absolutely  essential.  We  do  not 
come  to  China  to  civilize  merely,  and  woe  be  to  our  Mis- 
sion if  our  prime  purpose,  the  salvation  of  China,  is  for- 
gotten. An  educational  work  always  runs  that  risk. 
Ours  must  not  and  must  be  so  founded  that  the  danger 
will  be  minimized.  Other  departments  also,  too  numer- 
ous to  mention,  can  be  added  and  will  be  needed.  One 
of  the  most  important  of  these  I  trust  will  be  a  literary 
department  which  will  furnish  in  the  finest  Chinese  the 
literature  on  all  sorts  of  subjects  which  will  be  needed 
more  and  more  in  the  years  to  come.  One  of  the  wisest 
missionaries  in  North  China  made  this  suggestion,  feehng 
that  the  call  would  be  loud  for  men  to  be  able  to  grasp 
China's  problems  and  through  their  pens  show  her  the 
way  out.  One  might  go  on  almost  indefinitely.  But 
instead  I  want  to  quote  what  Mr.  Moir  Duncan,  principal 
of  Shansi  Imperial  University  and  a  man  of  wide  ex- 
perience as  a  missionary,  wrote  about  his  ideal  for  the 
Mission  after  he  had  considered  the  subject  for  weeks. 
'  I  trust  that  the  Yale  Mission  will  inaugurate  a  new  era 
in  the  work  for  Christ  and  China.  The  old  ruts  have 
been  travelled  in  long  enough.  While  respecting  and 
learning  from  all  former  men  and  methods,  I  hope  you 
will  establish  a  mission  that  knows  no  denomination  and 
that  will  achieve  a  work  that  no  mission  has  ever  at- 
tempted. I  would  say — and  pardon  the  seeming  pre- 
sumption— let  no  initial  difficulties  deter  your  plans  and 


252  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

in  no  case  lower  the  ideal  of  a  mission  for  the  whole  of 
the  Chinese  Empire.  Do  not  localize  or  limit  yourself 
or  your  work.  I  still  think  the  plan  of  securing  the  co- 
operation of  all  the  missions  in  a  scheme  for  the  whole 
land  better  than  settling  down  in  definite  and  local  work. 
The  bigger  your  plans  the  longer  the  time  for  their  ex- 
ecution. To  attack  a  single  town  is  easy,  to  conquer  a 
nation  a  more  gigantic  affair.' 

"  There  are  but  two  questions  which  arise  in  regard  to 
such  a  program.  (I  take  it  for  granted  that  you  under- 
stand that  I  do  not  think  this  program  can  be  carried 
out  in  anything  short  of  decades.)  First,  shall  we  be 
able  to  secure  the  cooperation  of  the  missionaries  ?  Our 
summer  in  KuUng  will  answer  that  question  better  than 
anything  I  know  of,  but  I  must  beHeve  that  we  shall 
be  able  to  gain  the  support  of  every  broad-minded  mis- 
sionary. In  the  Shansi  and  Shensi  field  I  think  we  have 
already  secured  hearty  support  for  such  work.  The 
second  question  is  will  Yale  support  such  a  plan  so  fully 
that  we  shall  be  able  to  carry  it  out  on  the  broadest 
lines  ?  I  do  not  mean  by  money  merely ;  but  far  more, 
will  the  men  we  need  consecrate  themselves  to  such  a 
work  ?  I  cannot  bring  myself  to  believe  that  she  will 
fail,  although  the  present  difficulty  of  securing  men  does 
not  encourage  one's  faith.  We  want  men  of  great 
ability  and  yet  with  entire  devotion  to  a  spiritual  work. 
Will  Yale  men  see  the  opportunity  and  accept  it  ? 

"  If  one  has  faith  to  answer  these  questions  in  the  af- 
firmative, and  I  for  one  am  willing  to  do  so,  does  any 
work  offer  such  a  marvellous  opportunity  as  that  of  the 
Yale  Mission  ?  To  have  a  part  in  laying  the  foundations 
for  such  an  enterprise  and  in  guiding  its  policy,  that  is 
the  privilege  that  will  come  to  the  first  men  that  come  out. 


The  Pioneer  Missionary  253 

"  As  to  your  own  work  and  the  opportunity  for  inves- 
tigation and  teaching,  I  believe  that  the  Mission  will  be 
able  to  offer  unrivalled  opportunities  because  of  its  finan- 
cial support.  Few  if  any  boards  can  possibly  afford  what 
I  believe  the  Yale  Alumni  will  make  possible  for  those  in 
whom  they  have  confidence.  I  am  tempted  to  wonder 
if  you  can  find  such  an  opportunity  anywhere  else  on  the 
mission  field." 

"  May  I  J,  igoj. 
"  We  want  very  badly  some  experienced  teachers. 
.  .  .  Teaching  in  every  line  would  at  first  be  very 
rudimentary.  It  is  so  in  the  so-called  Imperial  Univer- 
sities. It  might  seem  as  if  you  were  wasting  your  special 
training  to  come.  You  would  not  use  it  but  you  would 
not  waste  it  either  in  many  ways.  But  apart  from  that 
we  need  just  such  men  as  you,  consecrated,  enthusiastic, 
level-headed,  and  trained  to  teach.  I  challenge  you  in 
twenty  years  to  equal  the  opportunity  for  influence  that 
the  Yale  Mission  offers  you  here.  I  by  no  means  despise 
the  opportunity  before  the  missionary  in  ordinary  work, 
but  in  this  new  era  in  China  and  in  the  Yale  Mission,  the 
opportunity  is  unparallelled.  .  .  .  Although  I  try  to 
take  a  conservative  view  of  the  future,  I  cannot  but  be- 
lieve that  we  have  before  us  a  chance  to  influence  an 
empire.  Personally  I  would  not  exchange  the  privilege 
of  being  a  member  of  the  Yale  Mission  for  any  opening 
in  America." 

(To  Mr.  Beach.) 
"  You    speak   of    men   thinking   themselves   too   big 
for  the  work.     I  trust  such  men  will  stay  where  their 
great   powers   may   find   their   widest   field   of  service. 


254  ^  -^^^^  With  a  Purpose 

If  a  man  has  really  been  shown  the  opportunity  here,  and 
then  thinks  in  his  heart  that  he  is  too  big,  he  is  really  too 
something  else  to  be  used  to  the  best  out  here.  I  hope 
he  will  not  come.  But  as  for  the  opportunity  before  a 
member  of  the  Yale  Mission,  I  challenge  comparison  if 
the  man  is  fitted  for  the  work.  But  just  now  we  need 
men  of  vision,  of  faith,  of  common  sense,  and  of  devotion 
to  Christ." 

"  We  are  very  much  disturbed  over  the  reports  that 
some  very  unprincipled  people  have  spread  in  America 
in  regard  to  the  situation  here.  The  papers  have  it  to- 
day that  we  are  besieged  and  in  great  straits.  Now  it 
just  happens  despite  that  report  that  I  am  sitting  here  in 
my  study  as  calm  as  if  I  were  in  America,  and  there  is  no 
sign  of  the  siege  or  of  danger.  Of  course  no  one  is  will- 
ing to  stake  his  reputation  as  a  prophet  on  the  future  of 
China.  No  one  knows  (except  the  newspapers).  Most 
admit  that  the  future  is  very  uncertain.  Some  think  that 
we  are  living  on  a  volcano  which  may  or  may  not  have 
an  eruption.  Others  that  there  is  no  likeHhood  of  trouble 
for  some  time,  and  the  hope  is  that  it  may  be  put  off  long 
enough  to  be  averted  by  the  enlightenment  of  the  people. 
That  is  what  we  are  here  for.  That  is  one  of  the  duties 
of  the  Yale  Mission  to  do  all  in  its  power  at  once  to  save 
China  from  self-destruction  through  her  ignorance  and 
corruption.  And  as  far  as  danger  is  concerned,  we  are 
not  in  any  more  danger  than  these  hundreds  of  men  who 
are  here  to  make  money.  If  they  will  run  risks  for  their 
own  gain,  I  guess  we  will  not  refuse  to  for  China's  gain. 
In  the  eyes  of  some  only  that  man  is  a  fool  who  takes 
risks  for  the  kingdom  of  God  and  the  uplift  of  his  fellow 


The  Pioneer  Missionary  255 

men.  He  can  do  anything  he  pleases  for  great  financial 
returns  and  nothing  is  said.  The  future  may  be  un- 
certain, but  you  need  not  worry  about  us.  We  did  not 
come  here  for  an  easy  and  safe  job.  We  came  for  the 
sake  of  Christ  and  of  China.  Send  on  the  men  who  come 
for  the  same  reason  and  they  will  find  the  greatest  op- 
portunity before  them  that  they  ever  dreamed  of." 

About  the  middle  of  April  the  Thurstons  went  down 
to  Tientsin  for  over  Sunday,  partly  to  see  Mr.  Brockman 
and  partly  to  complete  arrangements  for  the  summer. 

"  April  21,  1903. 
"  As  a  result  of  our  talk  with  Brockman  in  Tientsin, 
we  have  planned  a  rather  radical  step  for  the  summer.  I 
wrote  you  last  week  that  it  seemed  best  to  delay  any  trip 
to  Hunan  till  fall.  You  may  have  noticed  in  Loben- 
stine's  letter  that  he  suggested  that  I  come  to  Kuling  for 
August  in  order  to  meet  the  Central  China  missionaries. 
To  travel  in  that  region  in  the  summer  seemed  an  unnec- 
essary risk,  and,  although  we  thought  of  the  possibility 
of  spending  the  summer  there,  we  gave  it  up.  Brock- 
man made  the  suggestion  that  we  do  that  very  thing,  and 
urged  it  so  strongly  that  we  reconsidered  our  decision. 
Apart  from  expense,  there  seemed  no  reason  against  it 
save  that  we  should  be  in  the  region  of  another  dialect. 
This  was  serious,  even  with  our  Pekingese  teacher  and 
boy  to  help  us  out.  On  the  other  hand  the  reasons  for 
going  were  many.  Just  as  an  hour's  conversation  is  worth 
more  than  a  letter  by  many  times,  so  free  intercourse  for 
a  week  or  two  is  worth  more  than  an  hour's  call.  For 
me  at  least  it  is  of  little  importance  whether  I  see  a  city 
or  a  region  provided  I  can  talk  with  the  workers  in  that 


256  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

region.  To  look  up  a  number  of  missionaries  in  their 
homes  is  a  difficult  and  almost  impossible  task.  To  lie 
in  wait  for  them  as  they  gather  where  you  are  is  easy. 
Some  men,  such  as  Griffith  John,  are  almost  impossible  to 
reach  at  home.  In  their  summer  home  they  will  spend 
evenings  with  you.  (This  from  Brockman.)  Further  as 
I  conceive  our  desire,  it  is  not  only  that  we  want  to  know 
where  we  shall  work,  but  what  we  shall  do,  and  this  can 
only  be  learned  as  we  give  our  advisers  a  chance  to  medi- 
tate on  the  subject  and  get  into  a  position  to  understand 
the  possibilities  before  the  Mission.  I  might  go  on,  but 
this  is  enough.  Despite  these  reasons  for  going,  the 
matter  of  the  language  seemed  so  serious  that  the  decision 
was  the  hardest  that  we  have  had  to  make  this  year.  We 
decided  in  favour  of  Ruling,  and  gave  up  our  room  in 
Pei  Tai  Ho." 


"  Before  leaving  North  China,  on  Sunday,  May  loth, 
Lawrence  spoke  on  the  Yale  Mission  at  the  Union  Church 
service  in  Peking.     He  writes  of  this  to  Mr.  Beach : 

"  May  12,  190J. 
"  Ever  since  we  came  to  Peking  we  have  been  wishing 
they  would  give  me  a  chance  to  tell  them  what  the  Yale 
Mission  really  was  and  what  it  desired.  But  because  the 
papers  had  given  them  no  adequate  conception  of  it,  and 
they  had  been  sure  in  their  own  minds  that  they  knew 
all  there  was  to  be  known,  not  one  person  in  Peking  has 
asked,  even  in  private  conversation,  that  I  tell  him  what 
the  Yale  Mission  was.  But  Sunday  the  feeling  that  North 
China  might  fail  to  present  her  proper  claims  came  so 
strongly  to  me  that  I  gave  up  the  sermon  I  had  prepared 


The  Pioneer  Missionary  257 

and  made  a  most  daring  attempt  to  give  to  the  mission- 
aries who  came  to  the  Union  service  some  conception  of 
the  Mission.  It  was  such  an  embarrassing  position  that 
I  was  Hterally  scared,  and  I  realized  how  a  slip  might  cost. 
I  can  tell  you  it  was  an  awakening  to  them.  They  com- 
plained  that  I  had  not  done  it  months  before.  But  I 
simply  said  that  I  had  had  no  opportunity.  Many 
thanked  me,  and  said  they  had  had  no  idea  of  the  Mission 
before,  and  did  not  realize  the  backing  it  had.  I  told 
them  that  we  not  only  wanted  to  know  where  to  work, 
but  what  to  do,  and  we  looked  to  the  missionaries  for 
their  advice.  We  had  not  come  here  as  an  independent 
mission  representing  a  peculiar  theology  or  peculiar  meth- 
ods or  peculiar  anything.  We  had  not  come  to  show 
them  how.  But  we  came  with  a  big  investment  of  men, 
money  and  interest,  to  place  in  China  where  it  would  do 
the  most  good  in  the  best  way.  Although  we  did  not 
believe  in  independent  missions  in  general,  independence 
for  us  was  essential  for  existence,  and  for  the  bringing  to 
bear  upon  missionary  work  of  a  new  and  powerful  ele- 
ment in  American  life.  But  we  were  willing  to  atone  for 
our  unorthodox  position  by  doing  all  in  our  power  to 
help  the  existing  work  in  China.  We  were  ready  to  do 
a  work  either  parallel  or  supplementary  to  theirs.  Was 
there  a  place  and  a  work  for  us  in  North  China?  From 
the  results  so  far  I  am  exceedingly  glad  I  took  my  life  in 
my  hands  and  said  what  I  did  to  them." 

The  next  week  letters  similar  to  the  following  were 
sent  to  the  four  missions  working  in  Peking.  The  pur- 
pose both  of  the  talk  and  these  letters  was  that  North 
China  might  present  its  claims  upon  the  Yale  Mission. 
No  definite  invitation  resulted  and  before  the  replies  were 


258  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

received  the  invitation  had  come  which  settled  the  whole 
problem. 

**  Peking ^  May  /j-,  /poj. 
"  Dear  Mr.  Wherry  : 

**  I  enclose  a  copy  of  the  constitution  of  the  Yale 
Missionary  Society.  It  will  hardly  give  you  more  than 
an  idea  of  its  formal  organization,  but  it  is  the  only 
printed  matter  I  have  on  the  subject.  As  I  outlined 
Sunday,  it  is  the  plan  of  the  society  to  establish  in  China 
a  mission  which  will  do  its  part  towards  the  regeneration 
of  this  empire.  Although  we  are  starting  quietly  and 
slowly,  our  backing  is  such  that  there  is  every  reason  to 
believe  that  in  the  end  there  will  be  a  large  corps  of 
workers  on  the  field.  How  large,  will  depend  mainly  on 
the  needs.  Although  independent,  we  do  not  come  with 
any  preconceived  ideas  as  to  our  work.  Our  one  desire 
is  to  find  the  work  in  which  we  are  most  needed  and  the 
field  that  offers  the  largest  opportunity  for  that  work.  If 
this  be  regular  missionary  work,  such  as  is  carried  on  by 
other  missions  in  North  China,  we  are  ready.  But  if 
there  is  a  special  work  which  is  more  needed  from  us 
and  which  will  supplement  and  aid  the  other  missionary 
operations,  we  are  ready  for  that.  We  have  already  been 
urged  to  devote  ourselves  to  educational  work. 

"  If  you  should  care  to  speak  of  this  problem,  which 
we  are  asking  the  older  missionaries  to  help  us  solve,  to 
the  missionaries  assembled  at  your  annual  meeting,  we 
should  be  very  glad  of  any  suggestions  which  might 
result.  You  need  not  fear  in  making  those  suggestions 
that  we  are  anxious  for  a  work  that  will  yield  quick 
results,  or  that  is  easy,  or  that  requires  but  a  small  ex- 
penditure of  men  and  money.     What  we  want  is  all  the 


The  Pioneer  Missionary  259 

advice  we  can  get  and  then  with  God's  help  we  will  try- 
to  carry  out  the  wisest  plan  in  the  most  efficient  way. 

"  Everything  at  present  points  to  a  work  in  the  Yangtse 
Valley.  If  North  China  should  be  our  field  we  sincerely 
hope  its  claims  may  be  strongly  presented  to  us  soon." 

"  Peking,  September  7,  /poj. 

"  In  answer  to  the  letter  of  the  Rev.  J.  L.  Thurston  in 
regard  to  the  Yale  Mission,  our  mission  desires  to  ex- 
press its  pleasure  at  the  interest  taken  in  the  evangeliza- 
tion of  China  by  one  of  the  great  universities  of  America, 
and  our  desire  for  its  abundant  success.  We  would 
suggest  that,  independently,  in  the  establishment  at  a 
convenient  center  of  a  large,  well-equipped  educational 
plant  for  the  benefit  of  all  who  might  desire  to  patronize 
it,  or  in  more  directly  evangelistic  work,  in  alliance  per- 
haps with  one  of  the  older  societies,  preferably  on  account 
of  its  New  England  origin,  the  American  Board,  it  will 
have  a  very  wide  field  for  labour,  with  every  prospect  of 
success. 

"  Although  it  was  not  convenient  to  put  it  in  the  reso- 
lution, we  all  thought  you  should  await  the  arrival  of 
Mr.  Beach  before  deciding  your  permanent  field  and  the 
special  character  of  your  work.  We  will  be  glad  to 
welcome  him  back  to  China,  and  to  assist  him  in  estab- 
lishing his  mission  as  far  as  we  can. 

*'  (Signed)     John  Wherry." 

"  P'ang  Chuang,  Te  Chou,  July  22,  igoj. 
"  Dear  Mr.  Thurston  : 

"  I  hope  very  much  that  Mr.  Beach  may  be  able 
to  come  out  for  a  short  time  (only)  that  his  work  may 
not  be  unduly  interrupted.     Your  Mission,  hke  all  young 


26o  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

persons,  will  have  to  grow  up  with  the  country,  and 
sooner  or  later  will  have  to  walk  alone.  Guidance  in  the 
earlier  stages  is  all  that  you  will  really  need,  I  think,  and 
if  more  is  really  required  you  will  somehow  get  it.  I 
hope  you  are  putting  in  all  available  strength  in  getting 
a  good  grip  on  this  distracted  language.  If  this  is  not 
done  in  the  earlier  months  the  freshest  time  has  gone  by, 
and  can  never  be  overtaken.  In  some  ways  it  may  be  a 
help  to  have  nibbled  at  a  variety  of  dialects— in  others 
not  so.  I  trust  you  find  your  summer  resort  what  its 
name  ought  to  imply ! 

"  I  remain  very  sincerely  yours, 

"  (Signed)    Arthur  H.  Smith." 

"  Peking y  June  j,  /poj. 
"  Dear  Mr.  Thurston  : 

"  Many  societies  are  already  at  work  and  many 
institutions  of  learning  already  founded,  and  it  is  no  easy 
matter  to  determine  the  location  and  define  the  work  of 
the  new  Mission.  A  new  mission  does  not  wish  to  tread 
in  the  footsteps  of  those  who  have  gone  before.  The 
Yale  Mission  has  promise  of  large  things  in  the  future. 
It  is  the  concensus  of  the  committee  that  it  is  best  for 
the  Yale  Mission  to  plan  to  do  an  all-round  work  in  both 
evangelistic  and  educational  lines.  The  time  does  not 
seem  to  have  arrived  to  specialize  in  methods  of  work. 
Work  in  evangelistic  lines  keeps  the  heart  fresh  and 
warm  and  seems  to  be  necessary  for  the  spiritual  growth 
of  even  those  engaged  in  other  forms  of  work,  however 
important  they  may  be. 

"  (Signed)    W.  S.  Ament." 


IX 

The  Chang-Sha  Invitation 


"Now  comes  our  problem.  We  have  the  opportunity  to  establish  a 
great  institution  in  one  of  the  most  strategic  provinces  in  China.  We 
have  the  cordial  support  of  all  the  missionaries  there.  They  are  ready  to 
give  over  to  us  the  higher  educational  work  of  the  entire  province.  They 
are  ready  to  cooperate  with  us  in  every  way.  They  express  their  con- 
fidence in  us. 

"  The  only  question  that  arises  is — can  we  accept,  and  do  the  work  as 
it  must  be  done  ?  I  believe  we  can  and  I  believe  we  must.  Ever  since 
the  invitation  came  we  have  both  felt  more  and  more  strongly  that  this 
was  God's  call  to  the  Yale  Mission.  I  have  always  had  an  assurance  that 
there  was  a  field  and  a  work  for  the  Yale  Mission  somewhere  in  China.  We 
have  searched  for  it  with  the  greatest  care.  I  believe  we  have  found  it. 
And  found,  it  proves  to  be,  not  a  small  work  but  one  of  the  greatest  op- 
portunities that  ever  came  to  a  group  of  men  and  to  the  Alumni  of  a  uni- 
versity, one  that  will  demand  our  very  best  and  will  put  us  to  a  supreme 
test." — Letter  from  China,  June  jo,  igoj. 


IX 

THE  CHANG-SHA  INVITATION 

KULING  is  the  one  place  in  the  Yangste  Valley 
where  the  foreigner  can  escape  from  the  steam- 
ing heat  for  the  few  weeks  of  rest  and  recreation 
which  he  needs  if  he  is  to  go  on  with  his  work.  Very- 
few  missionaries  spend  the  whole  summer  in  this  delight- 
ful place — only  when  health  requires  it.  One  man  from 
a  station  comes  to  bring  the  women  and  children  and 
has  a  few  weeks  of  vacation  before  returning  to  his 
work.  Another  member  of  the  station  is  the  escort  for 
the  return  trip.  Probably  as  many  as  one  thousand 
foreigners  are  in  Kuling  from  the  first  of  June  to  the  end 
of  October.  The  largest  number  at  any  one  time  is 
about  six  hundred.  This  includes  a  number  who  are  not 
missionaries,  but  in  China  in  government  service  or  busi- 
ness. The  British  citizens  lead  in  numbers,  closely  fol- 
lowed by  Americans ;  German  and  Scandinavian  and  a 
few  other  nationalities  are  also  represented. 

"  Kuling,  June  yth. 
"  Here  at  last,  and  I  tell  you  we  are  glad  indeed.  The 
place  is  a  dream  and  we  are  most  fortunate  to  spend 
the  summer  in  such  surroundings.  We  reached  Kiu 
Kiang  at  three  yesterday  afternoon.  There  we  were  met 
by  Chang,  who  has  charge  of  the  arrangements  for  Kuling 
people  at  that  end.  Our  stuff  was  taken  to  the  Rest 
House,  and  as  we  insisted  on  trying  to  reach  the  top  of 

263 


264  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

the  mountain  that  night  (Saturday),  he  turned  us  off. 
People  are  so  queer.  They  first  have  to  understand  that 
Tillie  can  stand  journeys.  Then  they  have  to  reahze  that 
we  have  travelled  and  are  not  afraid  to  be  alone  in  China 
on  a  well  travelled  route  with  trusty  men.  We  finally 
made  these  two  points  and  pressed  on,  although  one  older 
missionary  went  along  at  about  the  same  time.  Three 
men  took  the  necessary  light  luggage  on  carrying  poles ; 
and  the  teacher,  Wang  Hsien,  and  we  two  followed  in 
mountain  sedan  chairs.  These  are  merely  a  very  simple 
chair  attached  to  two  poles.  Four  men  carry  them. 
The  first  part  of  the  way  was  through  rice  fields  and  the 
narrow  winding  paths  we  followed  suggested  the  ducking 
we  would  get  if  we  were  plunged  into  that  water  and 
mud.  And  it  was  astonishing  how  the  coolies  loved  to 
change  shoulders  when  it  was  hanging  in  a  most  critical 
place.  The  country  was  beautiful.  Each  farmhouse, 
though  made  of  mud  bricks,  was  surrounded  by  most 
beautiful  trees  and  often  one  could  almost  imagine  him- 
self in  New  England.  Many  of  the  flowers  were  the 
same.     It  seemed  so  strange  to  find  them  here. 

"  We  rose  steadily  but  slowly  on  this  part  of  the  trip 
and  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain  we  stopped  at  the  Rest 
House  where  we  were  to  change  chairs  and  coolies.  The 
path,  there  was  no  road,  led  right  up  the  mountain. 
Often  it  was  as  steep  as  a  flight  of  stairs  and  all  too  often 
steeper.  We  walked  part  of  the  way  but  as  there  seemed 
to  be  no  such  thing  as  reaching  the  top  we  gave  up  and 
let  them  carry  us.  As  always  in  mountain  travel  there 
was  a  deal  of  going  down  hill  also  and  there  they  ran 
with  us.  You  can  imagine  being  carried  down  hill  on 
the  run,  bracing  yourself  for  fear  of  sliding  out.  It  was 
worse  than  going  up  except  that  it  was  not  so  hard  for 


The  Chang-Sha  Invitation  265 

the  men.  We  went  over  two  distinct  mountain  ridges 
and  then  in  the  valley  of  the  third  we  found  Kuling.  It 
was  a  moonlight  night  and  although  we  had  to  pass 
through  a  cloud,  once  we  were  above  that,  the  sky  was 
clear.  Below  us  was  the  cloud  and  above  the  moon  and 
all  around  the  green  mountains  and  the  sound  of  rushing 
water.  These  mountains  are  all  green  but  have  no  trees, 
only  grass  and  bushes.  They  had  told  us  it  would  be 
cold  and  we  prepared  for  it.  But  instead  it  was  very 
warm  and  we  could  ride  along  bareheaded  even  and 
without  a  thought  of  discomfort.  Once  in  a  while  we 
felt  a  little  queer  as  we  realized  how  in  the  very  wilder- 
ness we  were ;  not  even  knowing  when  the  end  of  our 
journey  would  come.  But  we  reached  here  finally  about 
ten  p.  M.  Our  house  is  almost  at  the  further  end  of  the 
settlement  and  so  we  rode  through  the  town  the  very  first 
night. 

"  Kuling  is  a  Httle  foreign  village  nestled  in  a  valley 
on  the  very  top  of  the  mountain  range,  with  the  houses 
running  up  into  the  gorges  all  around.  The  houses  are 
very  simple.  Some  business  men  have  quite  large  ones, 
but  most  of  the  missionary  houses  are  small.  Some  look 
more  like  stone  chicken  coops  than  houses." 

The  climate  of  Kuling  makes  a  roof  over  one's  head  a 
necessity  and  pretty  little  bungalows  built  of  the  lime 
stone  quarried  on  the  ground  shelter  the  inhabitants 
from  the  mountain  storms  that  sweep  down  the  valleys, 
sometimes  with  the  force  of  a  cloudburst ;  or  from  the 
mists  that  wrap  them  about  like  a  blanket. 

But  the  sun  does  shine  and  then  long  walks,  or  picnics 
to  nearer  places,  or  tennis  fill  the  recreation  hours  of  the 
day.     It   means  a  great  deal  to  the  missionaries  who 


266  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

spend  ten  months  of  the  year  in  some  inland  station 
where  the  Httle  group  of  ten,  it  may  be,  are  the  only 
foreigners,  to  get  out  into  this  larger  circle  and  enjoy 
social  and  intellectual  as  well  as  physical  recreation. 
There  is  international  as  well  as  interdenominational  fel- 
lowship. All  unite  in  celebrating  the  birthday  of  the 
youngest  nation  on  July  4th,  and  in  August  when  the 
largest  number  are  present  a  conference  of  several  days 
gives  opportunity  for  the  exchange  of  ideas  and  discus- 
sion of  the  problems  in  missionary  work. 

Although  it  anticipates  somewhat  the  later  develop- 
ments in  the  solution  of  the  Yale  Mission  problem,  the 
third  report  letter  can  best  tell  the  story  at  this  point. 

"  Kulmg,  China,  August  /j,  /poj. 
*'  Dear  Fellows  : 

•'  I  promised  to  tell  you  about  Kuling  and  the 
Yangtse  in  this  third  letter,  but  something  of  more  im- 
portance and  interest  has  come  up.  We  came  to  this 
region  for  the  summer,  in  order,  as  you  know,  to  investi- 
gate this  valley.  The  results  have  been  most  satisfactory. 
But  in  preparation  for  the  story  I  want  to  tell  you  of  the 
whole  problem  as  we  have  faced  it  here  this  year.  The 
original  plan  of  the  Mission  as  I  understood  it  was  to 
establish  in  some  important  center  a  regular  work  such 
as  is  usually  carried  on  by  the  boards  working  in  China. 
We  were  to  find  a  city  not  already  too  much  occupied, 
and  located  in  a  region  which  needed  our  help.  We 
were  to  establish  churches,  schools,  hospitals,  and  do 
any  other  work  that  the  needs  of  the  field  demanded. 

"  We  had  hardly  landed  in  Shanghai  when  Mr.  Lewis  of 
the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  laid  before  us  what  amounted  to  an  en- 
tirely different  plan.     He  first  explained  the  need  of  high 


The  Chang-Sha  Invitation  267 

grade  educational  institutions.  Most  missions  had  es- 
tablished schools  and  many  were  doing  a  fine  work. 
But  no  mission  had  ever  concentrated  on  education,  very 
few  of  the  schools  were  properly  manned  and  supported, 
and  being  denominational  were  Hmited  in  their  field  of 
work.  He  urged  that  we  try  to  find  a  field  where  educa- 
tion had  not  gone  far,  and  there,  with  the  cooperation  of 
the  missionaries,  establish  an  institution  which  would  sup- 
ply for  at  least  a  province  (something  under  twenty  mil- 
lion people)  what  was  needed  in  the  way  of  a  higher 
educational  institution.  As  a  negative  argument  he 
urged  that  we  would  thus  avoid  establishing  a  new  de- 
nomination, which  of  all  things  should  be  avoided  in 
China.  He  then  went  on  to  urge  the  claims  of  the 
Yangtse  Valley,  especially  of  Hunan  and  of  Chang-Sha, 
its  capital.  In  talking  with  some  of  the  leading  mission- 
aries of  Shanghai  I  found  that  they  agreed  heartily  with 
Lewis  in  both  propositions. 

"  Naturally  we  left  Shanghai  for  the  North  with  a  good 
deal  to  think  about ;  a  field  and  a  work  had  been  sug- 
gested that  had  hardly  been  considered.  Besides,  these 
conversations  had  opened  our  eyes  to  certain  conditions 
in  China, — the  many  missions  already  here,  the  complete- 
ness with  which  they  had  spread  themselves  over  the  field, 
and  the  justifiable  objection  of  many  to  another  Mission 
and  another  church.  More  men  but  not  more  missions 
were  what  they  longed  for.  Our  plans  and  tactics  were 
at  once  changed.  To  win  the  missionaries  and  gain  a 
welcome  for  the  Mission  we  must  ask  not  merely,  *  Where 
is  there  a  vacant  field  ?  '  We  must  ask,  *  What  do  you  as 
missionaries  of  experience  want  of  the  Yale  Mission  ? 
Here  is  a  force  ready  to  help  save  China.  We  are  ready 
to  put  in  men  and  money.     We  hope  to  make  what  we 


268  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

undertake  a  success.  Shall  we  take  some  unoccupied 
field  and  do  work  such  as  you  are  all  doing  or  shall  we 
specialize  and  seek  to  help  you  all  in  a  line  which  you 
cannot  perhaps  undertake  ?  What  do  you  want  of  us  ? 
We  are  at  your  service.'  The  plan  has  worked  and  I  be- 
lieve has  gone  far  to  win  our  way.  But  it  is  fortunate 
for  us  that  we  were  ignorant  of  what  many  thought  and 
felt,  for  we  might  have  lost  heart.  There  were  as  many 
conceptions  of  what  the  Mission  was  and  what  its  purposes 
were  as  there  were  missionaries.  We  were  in  the  midst 
of  misunderstanding,  and  misconception  and  in  some 
cases  criticism.  But  we  did  not  know  it.  Instead  was  a 
royal  welcome  to  new  workers  whoever  they  might  be 
from  those  who  were  themselves  burdened  with  crushing 
responsibility.  They  welcomed  us  in  Peking  as  only  mis- 
sionaries can  welcome  and  despite  the  misunderstandings 
we  spent  a  very  happy  winter. 

"  Apart  from  a  few  conversations  nothing  of  importance 
happened  till  the  Shansi  trip  was  proposed  and  carried 
out.  We  made  this  trip  to  investigate  a  field  which 
would  be  suitable  for  the  regular  work  such  as  was  first  pro- 
posed. I  have  already  told  you  of  that  in  detail.  We 
came  back  feeling  more  strongly  than  ever  that  the  Mis- 
sion's work  should  instead  be  a  specialty,  and  that  a 
greater  work  lay  before  Yale  in  another  direction. 

"  On  our  return  we  were  urged  by  one  of  our  best  ad- 
visers to  go  at  once  to  Hunan  and  look  that  field  over. 
After  careful  consideration  we  gave  up  that  plan  and  de- 
cided to  settle  down  till  fall.  Then  came  the  suggestion 
that  we  spend  the  summer  in  Kuling  from  one  who  knew 
the  place.  From  the  first  it  seemed  the  wisest  plan  and 
we  engaged  rooms  here  at  once.  Our  trip  down  was  a 
strange  experience.      The  time  required  should  not  have 


The  Chang-Sha  Invitation  269 

been  more  than  ten  days.  It  took  us  three  weeks  owing 
to  a  series  of  unavoidable  delays.  As  we  waited  for  a 
boat  in  Tientsin,  and  as  we  lay  at  anchor  in  a  fog  off  the 
coast,  it  was  a  little  hard  to  see  just  the  reason  for  the  loss 
of  time.  But  we  had  not  reached  Ruling  before  we  had 
discovered  the  reason.  Practically  the  success  of  the 
summer  depended  on  those  delays,  for  on  the  boat  up  the 
river  we  met  the  man  who  told  us  of  the  Chang-Sha  con- 
ference and  suggested  that  we  either  go  or  write  them  our 
plans.  The  conference  was  to  be  held  in  about  two 
weeks  and  was  to  be  attended  by  the  missionaries  of  the 
entire  province  of  Hunan.  Although  they  had  no 
legislative  power  they  were  to  discuss  and  practically  de- 
cide on  the  division  of  the  field  and  on  such  matters  as 
cooperation  in  education.  We  saw  at  once  that  after  such 
a  conference  had  been  held  it  would  be  far  harder  for  a 
new  Mission  to  enter  the  province,  for  although  new 
workers  under  the  old  societies  would  be  welcomed  and 
sorely  needed,  a  new  society  would  be  a  questionable 
blessing.  Yet  Hunan  was  the  first  field  that  we  had  in 
mind  in  this  region.  If  the  Yale  Mission  was  to  enter  it 
in  any  Hne  of  work  we  must  act  at  once.  There  was  no 
time  to  ask  advice  from  New  Haven ;  I  must  either  go  or 
write  and  that  without  delay.  The  doctors  would  not 
encourage  my  going  into  such  heat  my  first  year  in 
China,  so  I  was  shut  up  to  a  letter,  which  on  general 
principles  was  a  risk  when  so  much  was  at  stake.  For- 
tunately, Dr.  F.  A.  Keller,  Yale  '92,  was 'in  Chang-Sha 
under  the  China  Inland  Mission,  and  I  knew  he  was  in- 
terested in  the  Mission.  I  entrusted  the  whole  thing  to 
him.  The  letter  laid  special  emphasis  on  the  educational 
plan,  outlining  what  such  an  institution  might  develop  into. 
I  asked  the  conference  if  they  would  welcome  such  a  work 


270  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

as  perhaps  providing  the  union  educational  institution  for 
the  entire  province ;  but  the  question  was  also  asked  if 
they  would  prefer  a  modification  of  the  plan  or  an  en- 
tirely different  one,  and  they  were  assured  that  the  com- 
mittee in  New  Haven  would  consider  their  suggestions 
most  seriously.  We  merely  wished  to  know  if  they 
would  like  the  help  of  the  Yale  Mission  in  saving 
Hunan.  We  followed  the  letter  with  much  prayer, 
realizing  that  the  result  might  settle  the  work  of  the 
Mission  and  that  a  mistake  would  be  a  serious  blow. 

"  In  the  midst  of  the  conference  Dr.  Keller  sent  in 
brief  the  reply.     It  read  as  follows  : 

"  '  Hunan  conference  with  great  enthusiasm  passed  res- 
olution inviting  the  Yale  Mission  to  Chang-Sha  and  ap- 
proves heartily  of  proposed  educational  scheme,  Univer- 
sity Extension,  and  Literati  work.'  From  what  I  have 
gathered  since,  I  should  judge  that  the  resolution  was 
passed  amid  cheers  which  explains  the  underlining. 
In  a  few  days  came  the  resolution  and  I  give  it  in 
full. 

^''  Resolved  \\\2X  the  conference  extend  a  cordial  invita- 
tion to  the  Yale  University  Mission  to  establish  an  edu- 
cational center  in  Chang-Sha.  It  recommends  the  societies 
working  in  Hunan  to  entrust  the  higher  education  in  the 
province  in  science,  arts  and  medicine  to  this  Mission, 
and  also  to  work  as  far  as  possible  in  primary  education 
on  lines  that  conform  to  the  plan  of  higher  education  that 
might  be  adopted  by  the  Yale  University  Mission.  The 
conference  would  also  recommend  the  Missions  to  con- 
sider the  question  of  entrusting  theological  education  to 
the  Yale  University  Mission,  but  docs  not  feel  able  to 
give  any  indication  of  what  the  result  of  such  considera- 
tion  will   be.     The   conference   heartily   welcomes   the 


The  Chang-Sha  Invitation  271 

prospect  of  having  University  Extension  and  special  work 
for  the  Literati  carried  on  in  Hunan.' 

"  Ever  since,  I  have  been  learning  from  those  in  attend- 
ance of  the  genuine  enthusiasm  with  which  the  invita- 
tion was  given.  Of  course  I  wrote  in  detail  of  all  my 
movements  to  the  New  Haven  committee  and  have  sent 
them  the  invitation  and  reports  of  all  that  has  been  said  in 
regard  to  it  here.  The  Mission  is  receiving  congratu- 
lations on  every  hand  and  every  one  is  urging  that  we 
accept. 

"  To  appreciate  the  full  significance  of  this  oppor- 
tunity it  is  necessary  to  understand  all  that  is  involved. 
In  the  first  place  we  are  entrusted  with  the  higher  edu- 
cation (Christian)  of  an  entire  province  of  supposedly 
21,000,000  people  where  no  such  work  has  previously 
been  done.  All  the  work  in  Hunan  is  new.  Till  very 
recently  the  hostility  of  the  people  has  made  missions 
impossible.  Therefore  at  the  very  beginning  of  the 
work  in  the  province  the  missionaries  unite  in  asking  the 
Yale  Mission  to  found  the  union  missionary  college,  and 
offer  their  heartiest  cooperation.  But  this  would  in  itself 
amount  to  little  were  the  province  far  in  the  interior  and 
of  little  or  no  importance.  Instead  Hunan  is  one  of  the 
most  important  provinces  of  the  empire  and  Chang-Sha 
one  of  the  leading  cities.  Every  one  speaks  well  of  the 
Hunanese  despite  their  previous  hostility.  It  is  not 
necessarily  a  disgrace  to  have  been  hostile  to  foreigners 
when  they  have  misunderstood  them  or  suffered  at  their 
hands.  The  Hunanese  are  born  fighters,  brave  and  fear- 
less. They  are  leaders  by  instinct,  and  when  won  to 
Christ  will  supply  many  of  the  leaders  of  which  the 
Church  is  so  sorely  in  need.  Their  very  nature  makes 
them  out  and  out  Christians  or  else  the  opposite.     They 


272  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

do  not  vacillate.  They  are  eager  for  education.  As  to 
the  province  it  is  rich  and  prosperous,  with  great  unde- 
veloped resources.  Its  dialects  are  the  great  drawback. 
Being  mountainous,  intercommunication  has  been  difficult 
and  so  the  clans  have  varied  in  their  speech.  Chang-Sha 
is  described  as  one  of  the  best  cities  in  China — clean, 
prosperous  and  well  built.  But  what  is  more  important 
for  us,  it  is  centrally  located.  Even  at  present  it  is  but 
two  days  from  the  Yangtse  by  boat,  which  puts  it  in 
touch  with  this  entire  valley.  The  Peking-Hankow- 
Canton  railroad  will  go  through  it,  and  therefore  in  a 
few  years  it  will  be  accessible  to  north  and  south  by  rail, 
and  east  and  west  by  river.  With  the  exception  of 
Hankow  and  Wu  Chang  I  doubt  if  there  is  a  more  central 
and  accessible  city  in  the  empire.  We  would  therefore 
be  located  in  a  city  where,  if  we  proved  able,  we  could 
carry  out  the  far-reaching  plans  of  our  most  sanguine 
friends  in  China.  Could  we  ask  for  more  ?  A  city,  a 
province,  a  people  of  wonderful  promise  and  besides,  the 
cooperation  and  welcome  of  the  missionaries. 

"  Of  course  there  are  difficulties.  Those  relating  to 
the  field  I  will  not  take  your  time  to  discuss.  But  the 
question  has  come, '  Will  the  Yale  Alumni  respond  to 
this  invitation  in  the  spirit  in  which  it  is  given,  and  will 
they  be  ready  to  give  the  Mission  all  needed  funds,  and 
what  is  more  come  themselves  in  sufficient  numbers  to 
properly  man  the  institution  so  that  its  work  shall  never 
fall  behind,  but  always  be  on  the  aggressive  ?  '  We  had 
far  better  not  accept  the  opportunity  than  accept  and 
then  fail.  The  missionaries  expect  only  the  reasonable. 
If  Yale  does  not  go  far  beyond  their  mild  expectations  I 
think  she  will  be  failing  of  her  opportunity.  But  per- 
sonally I  believe  she  will  respond  and  that  the  Yale  of 


The  Chang-Sha  Invitation  273 

China  will  only  be  an  honour  to  her  mother  and  a  mighty 
blessing  to  this  empire. 

"  So  the  matter  stands  and  the  year's  investigations 
must  speak  for  themselves.  Shansi  gives  us  a  small 
field,  good  but  not  important.  There  are  other  small 
fields  open  but  very  Httle  encouragement  to  enter  them 
from  the  older  societies  who  do  not  want  another  de- 
nomination. Hunan  gives  us  the  field  where  we  are 
needed  and  the  work  to  which  we  are  welcomed.  Until 
we  know  the  decision  of  the  society  we  are  powerless  to 
investigate  further,  for  every  one  expects  us  to  go  to 
Hunan,  and  one  can  hardly  wonder.  I  only  trust  that 
we  may  do  God's  will  and  find  the  work  He  has  for  us 
to  do. 

**  The  above  gives  you  the  situation  as  it  stands, 
though  I  fear  not  in  brief.  I  will  shorten  my  letters  if 
you  say  so.  There  is  a  deal  to  talk  about  and  some- 
times my  machine  runs  away  with  me.  Do  let  me  hear 
from  you  if  I  am  ever  going  to  be  able  to  give  you  just 
what  you  want  most. 

"  Very  sincerely, 

"  J.  L.  Thurston." 

The  letter  to  Dr.  Keller  which  resulted  in  the  invita- 
tion was  felt  to  be  a  most  momentous  action  and  was 
written  after  much  prayer  and  most  careful  thought. 
During  the  days  of  the  conference  which  closed  June 
2 1st,  prayer  was  made  continually  that  the  members  of 
the  conference  might  be  guided  and  that  their  decision 
might  be  of  God.  A  letter  from  Mr.  Beach  received 
June  12,  1903,  was  the  first  official  word  from  New 
Haven  that  special  educational  work,  rather  than  general 
was  approved  by  the  committee.     The  difficulties  in  the 


274  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

way  were  many.  No  one  saw  them  more  clearly  than 
Lawrence  himself,  but  his  attitude  towards  difficulties  in 
general  was  taken  towards  these  particular  ones.  Diffi- 
culties were  never  regarded  by  him  as  indications  that  a 
project  was  to  be  given  up.  He  merely  set  himself  to 
overcome  them,  strong  in  his  faith  that  what  ought  to  be 
can  be,  and  that  God's  power  can  be  counted  on  for  the 
doing  of  God's  will.  When  the  invitation  to  Chang-Sha 
came,  he  was  certain  that  it  was  "  a  call  of  God,"  and  he 
set  himself  to  meet  all  the  possible  objections  that  might 
be  brought  against  undertaking  so  large  a  work  at  a  time 
when  neither  men  nor  money  for  the  Mission  were  in 
sight.  The  mere  possibility  of  the  invitation  being  re- 
fused was  so  terrible  that  he  felt  as  never  before  the  bar- 
rier of  distance  and  time  that  separated  him  from  the 
committee  and  longed  to  be  able  to  go  in  person  to  pre- 
sent his  case.  There  is  a  note  of  pleading  for  the  ac- 
ceptance of  the  opportunity  which  is  partially  explained 
by  this  sense  of  separation  from  his  hearers. 

"  We  are  waiting  with  great  interest  to  see  what  you 
will  finally  decide  as  to  the  educational  proposition.  Of 
course,  unless  we  can  get  trained  men  to  come  out  to 
teach  we  are  powerless  to  do  more  than  establish 
a  third  rate  college,  and  this  would  never  do. 
What  we  do  we  must  do  well.  But  can  it  be  that  the 
men  who  go  into  teaching  from  Yale  so  lack  the  mis- 
sionary spirit  that  we  cannot  look  to  them  to  supply  our 
need  ?  I  for  one  do  not  give  up  hope  till  we  have  tested 
the  case  thoroughly.  Still  I  am  not  as  yet  willing  to  say 
that  the  educational  plan  is  necessarily  the  one  we  should 
adopt."  (This  before  the  invitation  to  Chang-Sha  was 
received.) 


The  Chang-Sha  Invitation  275 

Two  days  later  the  invitation  came,  June  25th. 

''  June  30,  1^03, 
"  Dear  Reed  : 

"  Although  the  formal  invitation  from  the  Hunan 
Conference  has  not  yet  come,  I  have  all  the  facts  that  are 
necessary,  and  so  am  going  to  write  you.  The  matter  is 
of  such  importance  that  we  must  act  promptly,  although 
not  with  haste.  Dr.  Griffith  John  has  just  arrived  and  I 
went  to  see  him  yesterday.  At  the  last  minute  he  was 
unable  to  attend  the  conference  and  so  referred  me  to 
another  member  of  his  Mission  who  had  just  come  from 
the  conference.  I  therefore  went  at  once  to  see  Mr. 
Greig.  It  seems  that  Dr.  Keller's  letter  practically  em- 
bodied the  invitation,  and  that  the  secretary's  formal 
notice  will  contain  nothing  new  save  on  one  point,  that 
they  were  in  doubt  as  to  whether  they  could  turn  over 
to  us  the  theological  department.  We  then  went  over 
the  entire  subject.     .     .     . 

"  The  very  name  Yale  stands  for  a  great  deal  here,  and 
regardless  of  what  I  have  said  the  name  itself  has  implied 
great  things.  It  is  not  the  name  to  be  under  unless  one 
means  business.  And  I  very  much  doubt  if  within 
twenty-five  years  the  Chang-Sha  institution  will  not  have 
done  much  to  honour  the  name  which  it  represents.  One 
thing  should  be  remembered  when  we  hear  missionaries 
talk  of  large  plants,  etc.  What  is  large  here  is  very  small 
at  home.  Great  things  are  expected  of  us,  but  those 
things  will  be  compared  with  and  judged  by  what  is  here 
and  not  by  what  is  at  home.  We  need  not  fear  that  we 
cannot  do  the  work  if  we  take  hold  of  it,  for  we  are  not 
being  asked  to  do  the  impossible. 

"  In  regard  to  Hunan  there  is  not  a  dissenting  voice. 


276  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

As  I  have  written  before  every  one  has  been  pointing  us 
to  Hunan.  Here  people  are  just  as  enthusiastic  over  the 
province.  Dr.  John  beheves  that  the  people  are  the  most 
attractive  in  the  empire.  All  say  that  they  are  the  most 
satisfactory  to  work  for.  We  would  be  congratulated  by 
any  missionary  for  having  the  opportunity  to  work  in  the 
province.  At  present  the  province  is  perfectly  open  and 
the  people  are  ready  for  education  and  the  success  in 
evangelistic  work  is  marked. 

*'  Now  comes  our  problem.  We  have  the  opportunity 
to  establish  a  great  institution  in  one  of  the  most  stra- 
tegic provinces  in  China.  We  have  the  cordial  support 
of  all  the  missionaries  there.  They  are  ready  to  give 
over  to  us  the  higher  educational  work  of  the  entire 
province.  They  are  ready  to  cooperate  with  us  in 
every  way.  They  express  their  confidence  in  us.  They 
look  to  us  to  give  an  example  of  true  missionary  union 
and  cooperation  in  education,  something  not  illustrated 
perfectly  anywhere  in  China.^  We  are  furthermore  in  a 
center  to  which  all  admit  we  can  attract  by  a  strong  insti- 
tution the  best  minds  in  the  empire.  We  thus  cannot 
only  supply  a  great  province  with  education,  but  can  in 
the  end  fulfill  the  ambitions  for  us  of  some  of  our  best 
advisers  in  reaching  the  empire. 

"  The  only  question  that  arises  is  can  we  accept  and 
do  the  work  as  it  must  be  done  ?  /  believe  we  can  and 
I  believe  we  must.  Ever  since  the  invitation  came  we 
have  both  felt  more  and  more  strongly  that  this  was 
God's  call  to  the  Yale  Mission.  I  have  always  had  an 
assurance  that  there  was  a  field  and  a  work  for  the  Yale 


*  Since  this  was  written  union  schools  have  been  organized  in  Peking, 
Nanking,  Canton,  Hankow  and  other  large  cities,,  The  Canton  Christian 
College  was  the  only  institution  of  its  kind  at  this  date. 


The  Chang-Sha  Invitation  277 

Mission  somewhere  in  China.  We  have  searched  for  it 
with  the  greatest  care.  I  believe  we  have  found  it.  And 
found,  it  proves  to  be  not  a  small  work  but  one  of  the 
greatest  opportunities  that  ever  came  to  a  group  of  men 
and  to  the  alumni  of  a  university,  one  that  will  demand 
our  very  best  and  will  put  us  to  a  supreme  test.  And 
not  the  least  striking  feature  about  it  is  that  we  are 
brought  to  the  opportunity  at  just  the  critical  moment, 
the  field,  the  work,  and  the  workers  fitting  exactly.  If 
we  take  it,  a  great  work  lies  before  us.  If  we  do  not,  we 
settle  down  to  a  little  work  in  a  little  field.  I  do  not  be- 
lieve that  any  other  opportunity  even  in  educational  lines 
can  compare  with  this.  Every  one  with  whom  I  have 
talked  urges  us  to  take  the  chance.  If  we  do  not,  there- 
fore, I  fear  that  the  missionaries  will  feel  that  it  is  hardly 
worth  while  advising  us.  No,  we  must  take  it,  or  turn 
from  God's  call  to  an  insignificant  work.  It  will  take  a 
deal  of  faith,  especially  in  these  times  when  we  are  hav- 
ing such  a  hard  time  to  get  the  men,  but  the  men  will 
come.  They  must,  and  I  believe  that  such  a  chance  will 
appeal  very  strongly  to  the  alumni,  and  as  the  work  de- 
velops we  shall  find  them  more  and  more  heartily  behind 
us  with  men,  and  money  and  a  devoted  interest. 

"  A  word  as  to  plans  for  the  future  if  it  is  decided  to 
accept  this  invitation.  We  shall  not  be  ready  to  begin 
active  work  for  at  least  three  or  four  years.  We  had 
then  probably  better  plan  to  occupy  native  buildings 
until  we  are  able  to  secure  just  the  site  that  we  wish  to 
occupy  permanently.  It  will  be  foolish  to  put  the  school 
where  the  health  of  the  students  is  always  going  to  ham- 
per work,  or  where  we  would  not  be  able  to  have  a 
campus  worthy  of  the  name.  There  are  hills  around 
Chang-Sha  which  will  probably  furnish  just  the  place  we 


278  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

need.  But  often  it  is  impossible  to  secure  such  sites 
without  greatly  offending  the  Chinese  because  of  their 
superstitions.  To  offend  them  is  foolish  where  it  can 
possibly  be  avoided.  When  we  are  ready  to  choose  our 
location  we  may  find  nothing  in  the  way.  But  I  do  not 
want  our  constituency  to  be  disappointed  if  we  are  de- 
layed in  securing  the  land  we  want,  and  therefore  de- 
layed in  putting  up  buildings  worthy  of  the  institution. 
We  may  have  to  be  content  with  very  simple  things  for 
some  years  to  come.  But  in  the  end  I  trust  we  shall 
have  a  campus  and  a  group  of  buildings  that  will  be  in 
every  way  attractive,  and  that  without  losing  the  friend- 
ship of  the  Chinese.  Another  reason  for  delay  is  that 
we  should  make  a  careful  study  of  architecture  before  we 
settle  on  the  style  of  our  buildings. 

"  We  can  but  pray  that  the  committee  and  the  coun- 
cil will  be  guided  in  all  their  deHberations,  and  that  this 
opportunity  may  be  accepted  and  the  great  responsi- 
bility assumed  *  for  God,  for  China,  and  for  Yale.'  I 
very  much  fear  that  anything  but  an  acceptance  will  be 
to  me  personally  a  very  great  discouragement,  for  we 
seem  shut  up  to  it,  and  yet  in  so  being  we  are  shut  up  to 
a  most  wonderful  opportunity.  *  Who  knoweth  whether 
thou  art  not  come  to  the  kingdom  for  such  a  time  as  this  ? ' 

"  I  must  at  least  plead  that  the  plan  be  not  rejected 
till  I  have  had  more  chance  to  plead.  But  I  would  not 
plead  as  I  have  even  now  if  I  were  with  you,  for  I  am 
confident  that  the  invitation  will  really  appeal  to  you  as 
strongly  as  it  does  to  us." 

(To  Mr.  Beach.) 
"  As  to  the  call  itself,  although  I  have  spoken  quite 
strongly  in   the  letter   to  Reed  because  of  the  distance 


The  Chang-Sha  Invitation  279 

and  the  time  required  to  add  more,  I  cannot  but  feel 
that  it  was  unnecessary,  for  it  does  seem  as  if  this 
would  surely  appeal  to  the  committee  as  strongly  as  it 
does  to  us.  I  can  hardly  see  where  we  will  receive  any 
other  call  equal  to  this  or  find  a  greater  opportunity. 
But  it  surely  is  going  to  demand  our  very  best.  The 
missionaries  will  expect  great  things  of  us  and  rightly. 
But  we  can  do  it  and  we  must.  How  I  wish  1  could  say 
all  I  feel  without  seeming  to  say  too  much,  but  I  must 
leave  the  invitation  in  your  hands  now,  and  I  cannot  but 
believe  that  we  shall  receive  word  that  it  is  accepted." 

(To  Family.) 

"  I  have  been  keeping  the  typewriter  hot  with  letters 
to  the  committee,  leaving  no  stone  unturned  to  secure 
the  acceptance  of  what  seems  to  me  the  clear  call 
of  God  and  a  most  marvellous  opportunity.  There 
is  not  another  such  opportunity  possible  in  China. 
Chang-Sha  is  the  last  great  center,  accessible  to  all  prov- 
inces that  is  without  an  educational  institution.  The 
work  there  is  new,  and  no  plans  are  formed  which  need . 
hinder  our  uniting  all  such  work  under  one  head.  And 
as  Dr.  John  says,  we  are  in  the  nick  of  time.  A  year 
later  would  not  have  done.  The  conference  itself  was 
the  one  place  to  present  the  subject.  The  clock  struck, 
and  in  God's  providence  we  were  on  time. 

"  I  can  hardly  believe  that  the  decision  will  be  other 
than  favourable.  If  it  is  not  I  shall  be  in  an  embarrass- 
ing position.  The  invitation  received  goes  so  far  beyond 
my  wildest  dreams  that  I  was  greatly  surprised.  The 
fact  that  we  have  been  invited  is  becoming  known  to  all 
the  missionaries,  and  through  the  papers  and  the  mis- 
sionaries will  reach  the  boards  and  a  wide  circle.     As  I 


28o  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

said  to  Tillie,  if  I  am  not  supported  this  ministry  will 
have  to  retire  and  there  will  be  a  new  election.  The 
conference  utterly  ignored  my  explicit  statements  that  I 
was  acting  on  my  own  responsibility.  They  even  re- 
ferred to  my  letter  as  a  communication  from  the  Yale 
Mission.  So  you  can  see  if  the  committee  does  not  ac- 
cept the  invitation  I  am  discredited.  But  cheer  up ! 
They  cannot  well  refuse." 

A  letter  received  about  the  end  of  July  speaks  of  dif- 
ficulties in  finding  men,  especially  a  physician,  to  go  out 
in  the  fall  of  1903.     Lawrence  repHes  : 

"  But  we  need  not  worry.  All  through  our  difficulties 
when  the  time  came  for  it  I  have  seen  God's  hand.  And 
the  difficulty  about  getting  men  as  fast  as  we  want  them 
may  be  because  He  has  planned  otherwise.  My  faith  is 
growing  steadily  that  He  is  guiding  this  Mission,  and 
with  that  faith  comes  a  rest  from  all  anxiety  in  regard  to 
the  difficulties." 

Many  times  that  faith  had  been  tested  by  the  difficulties 
encountered  along  the  way,  but  the  supreme  test  was  still 
to  come.  It  is  much  easier  to  have  faith  when  one  is 
able  to  put  all  his  powers  into  a  work  and  see  that  he  is 
in  a  sense  controlling  the  situation,  even  though  he  has 
fully  consecrated  those  powers  to  God  and  is  asking  for 
guidance  at  every  step.  It  is  much  harder  when  we  are 
obliged  to  stand  by,  helpless,  to  believe  that  God  still 
guides  and  that  His  work  must  go  on. 

The  last  important  interview  was  over,  the  last  letters 
to  New  Haven  were  written,  every  plan  was  made  for  the 
fall  and  winter  on  the  basis  of  the  accepted  invitation,  for 


The  Chang-Sha  Invitation  281 

no  other  thought  could  be  entertained, — everything  was 
done  that  could  be  done  until  the  decision  of  the  com- 
mittee was  known — when  Lawrence  was  laid  low  by  an 
attack  of  what  appeared  to  be  malaria,  but  refused  to 
yield  to  the  treatment.  He  expressed  at  the  time  a  sense 
of  extreme  weariness,  saying  to  Mrs.  Thurston,  "  I  feel  as 
if  I  had  gone  all  to  pieces."  And  yet  he  could  not  think 
it  anything  serious,  and  none  of  the  doctors  called  it  any- 
thing but  malaria  or  ptomaine  poisoning.  All  through 
August  and  September  he  was  up  and  down,  but  although 
the  doctors  began  to  suspect  some  more  serious  trouble, 
they  had  no  proof,  or  gave  no  indications  that  they  had 
discovered  the  real  cause  of  the  sickness.  It  is  hard  to 
realize  from  the  letters  of  this  period  that  anything  serious 
was  wrong.  Even  in  the  midst  of  an  attack,  when  letters 
were  dictated  to  Mrs.  Thurston,  there  is  the  bright,  cheer- 
ful view  of  things. 

"  Ruling,  China,  August  p,  igoj. 
"  My  Dear  Ones  : 

"  I  have  spent  the  week  since  last  Monday  morn- 
ing in  bed  enjoying  an  attack  of  malaria.  You  do  not 
get  it  up  here,  but  you  bring  it.  I  think  I  am  now 
through  with  the  malaria,  but  not  with  the  weakening 
effect  of  it.  I  can  hardly  punch  this  machine,  and  shall 
not  try  to  long.  The  week  is  a  blank  as  far  as  interest  is 
concerned,  and  as  yet  no  home  mail  has  come  to  answer. 
We  had  planned  to  do  great  things  these  last  few  days. 
We  were  going  to  try  to  see  if  we  could  get  estimates  on 
the  house.  [A  lot  had  been  purchased  and  plans  drawn 
for  a  house  in  Ruling.]  There  were  several  important 
conversations  to  be  held.  There  was  at  least  one  picnic. 
There  was  the  language  on  which  I  hate  to  lose  an  entire 


282  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

week.  We  were  going  to  have  a  birthday  picnic  also, 
but  August  4th  found  me  on  my  back  and  almost  helpless. 
Perhaps  I  needed  the  rest,  although  I  do  not  like  this 
method  of  taking  rest  when  it  only  adds  to  all  the  weari- 
ness to  be  overcome.  I  have  learned  to  pity  the  man 
who  comes  here  unmarried.  With  Tillie  around  it  was 
all  right,  but  without  her  I  should  have  been  homesick  to 
desperation." 

(To  Dr.  Reed.) 

"  August  75,  igoj. 
"  You  see  that  I  am  again  able  to  write.  I  have 
been  up  all  this  week,  but  the  doctor  forbade  my  study- 
ing, or  working  too  hard  at  anything.  I  have  tried  to  be 
good,  but  it  is  very  hard  for  me  not  to  work.  I  have 
taken  no  real  vacation  this  summer,  as  I  have  felt  that 
travelling  so  much  this  year  was  about  all  the  vacation  I 
deserved.  I  trust  I  have  not  been  unwise.  The  language 
almost  haunts  me  and  takes  away  the  pleasure  of  the 
thought  of  a  vacation  from  it." 

(^Dictated)  "  Killing,  China,  August  2^,  ^90J. 

"  My  Dear  Ones  : 

"  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  I  am  at  present  busily  en- 
gaged in  holding  down  beds  and  couches  and  living  on 
most  uninteresting  liquid  food.  The  doctors  do  not  know 
what  is  the  matter  with  me,  and  I  certainly  don't,  for  my 
spirits  are  not  curbed  a  mite.  But  cheer  up !  The 
symptoms  are  fast  disappearing,  what  few  there  were,  and 
I  shall  in  a  few  days  probably  be  making  up  for  lost 
time. 

"  I  began  the  week  feeling  fit  for  fight,  and  I  studied 
all  Monday  and  in  the  evening  went  to  dinner  at  Bishop 


The  Chang-Sha  Invitation  283 

Ingle's.  The  dinner  was  to  be  followed  by  a  discussion 
of  the  so-called  worship  of  ancestors  and  of  Confucius. 
We  were  much  disgusted  because  no  women  were  invited, 
for  Tillie  was  as  much  interested  in  the  subject  as  I  was. 
It  is  admitted  by  all  that  by  showing  Confucius  a 
true  and  deserved  reverence,  and  by  the  use  of  many  apt 
quotations  from  his  writings,  we  secure  a  foothold  in  the 
Chinese  mind  which  enables  us  more  easily  to  point  them 
to  Christ  as  higher  than  Confucius,  of  whom  Confucius 
was  but  the  forerunner.  The  evening  was  distinctly  worth 
while. 

"  The  next  day  came  another  dose  of  study  and  an  in- 
formal supper  at  Miss  Lobenstine's.  Wednesday  I  started 
off  bravely,  but  by  noon  found  myself  on  my  back  where 
I  have  remained  since,  and  I  assure  you  it's  getting  tired. 

**  As  for  myself,  I  really  have  nothing  to  complain  of. 
I  admit  that  liquid  animal  food  but  tantalizes  a  lusty  ap- 
petite, but  for  comfort  and  companionship  I  am  not  kick- 
ing. But  pity  the  man  who  comes  out  here  unmarried. 
Tillie  is  actually  succeeding  in  reading  to  me.  All  the 
winter  she  has  complained  that  these  evenings  of  reading 
were  a  delusion — that  my  typewriter  received  altogether 
too  much  attention.  But  now  the  typewriter  is  neglected 
and  we  read.  I  should  advise  every  missionary  to  come 
armed  with  light  Hterature.  Theology  and  criticism  may 
be  all  very  well,  but  when  you're  half  starved  and  lying 
on  your  back  at  the  same  time  you  want  something  that 
will  more  readily*  keep  you  frombroodingonbeingadog.'" 

**  Kulingy  ChinUf  September  2,  igoj. 
"  My  dear  Ones  : 

♦'  I  do  not  know  how  long  Tillie  will  let  me  keep 

this  up,  so  we  must  hurry  along.     I  am  very  much  better. 


284  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

The  doctors  finally  decided  that  my  trouble  was  indiges- 
tion (*  ptomaine  poisoning ').  Of  course  here  in  China 
they  are  always  afraid  of  typhoid.  It  seems  so  strange 
to  realize  that  I  must  be  careful  of  my  digestion,  of  all 
things.  But  it  is  the  price  that  perhaps  is  allotted  to  me 
to  pay  for  living  in  China.  Nothing  I  have  eaten  would 
have  troubled  me  at  home.  I  am  now  back  on  prac- 
tically a  normal  diet  with  strength  returning  slowly.  I 
try  to  get  out  every  day,  as  that  is  the  best  way  to  gain. 
I  have  stopped  work  and  shall  not  try  any  more  till 
we  leave  here,  which  we  are  hoping  to  do  about  the 
twentieth. 

"  I  have  begun  to  go  into  society  again.  Saturday 
night  the  Brockmans  had  a  camp-fire  and  we  went. 
There  was  a  roaring  fire  of  brush  and  we  all  sat  out  in 
the  moonlight  around  it  and  did  stunts  much  as  we  would 
in  camp.  From  the  candy  and  refreshments  I  had  to 
abstain,  much  to  my  sorrow.  Monday  night  we  went  on 
a  picnic  with  the  Lobenstines.  Ed  arrived  last  week  and 
has  been  on  the  go  ever  since.  I  fear  I  do  not  enjoy 
picnics  when  I  have  to  take  special  food  for  fear  I  will 
starve  otherwise.  Last  night  came  the  long-prepared-for 
show.  It  was  a  surprise  to  Ed,  but  we  had  a  great  time 
keeping  it  so,  as  it  was  at  his  house.  It  was  a  mock  trial, 
the  charge  being  that  a  certain  Mrs.  Woods  had  poisoned 
a  Mr.  Goddard's  lamb  out  of  revenge  for  her  husband 
being  beaten  by  Mr.  Goddard  in  tennis,  and  further  that 
this  lamb  was  no  ordinary  beast,  but  the  veritable  Mary's 
lamb  of  fame.  Mr.  Brockman  was  the  judge  and  the 
attorneys  were  Mr.  Roots,  of  the  Episcopal  Mission,  for 
the  state,  and  TiUie  for  the  defendant.  I  was  a  witness 
for  the  defendant.  The  opposite  side  was  very  witty,  but 
we  saved  our  reputation  through  the  testimony  of  an  old 


The  Chang-Sha  Invitation  285 

negro  mammy  who  was  simply  irresistible.  We  capped 
the  climax  by  proving  our  contention  that  the  lamb  was 
not  Mary's  by  producing  a  real  live  lamb  (or  rather  sheep) 
in  the  court-room.  This  brought  down  the  house  and 
almost  broke  up  proceedings.  The  case  was  decided  in 
our  favour,  which  was  a  disappointment  to  the  judge,  for, 
as  he  said,  it  spoiled  all  his  thunder  in  pronouncing  sen- 
tence. It  was  a  gay  evening,  Hvelier  even  than  Saturday 
night.  So  you  see  missionaries  are  not  all  sedate.  Why 
even  the  EngHsh  seemed  to  appreciate  the  trial. 

"  As  a  week  from  to-day  is  our  wedding  anniversary, 
we  have  invited  a  few  of  our  most  intimate  friends  to 
supper.  It  looks  as  if  we  should  have  our  hands  full  and 
that  we  would  not  only  need  to  borrow  dishes  but  serv- 
ants. There  are  a  lot  of  other  friends  we  would  like  to 
invite  some  time,  but  people  are  beginning  to  go  down 
now  and  we  are  hardly  likely  to  catch  them." 

(^Dictated)  *^  Killing ^  China ^  September  ^y  ^9^3* 

"  Dear  Ed  : 

"  By  the  handwriting  you  can  judge  that  I  am  laid 
up  again.  I  went  to  work  too  soon  and  was  on  my  back 
in  three  days.  There  is  no  question  but  that  the  year 
has  been  harder  on  me  than  I  realized,  and  the  doctor 
has  advised  me  to  take  a  vacation.  I  am  at  present  con- 
valescent and  at  no  time  have  I  been  seriously  ill,  but  I 
shall  need  to  go  slowly  now  if  I  am  to  go  at  all  later." 

{Dictated^  "  Ruling,  China,  September  g,  igoj, 

*'  My  dear  Ones  : 

"  My  fever  is  a  very  deceitful  thing,  but  unfortu- 
nately it  is  no  delusion.     It's  come  back  again,  this  time 


286  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

quite  mildly,  but  fever  nevertheless.  If  the  doctor  knew 
what  a  fellow  had  it  would  seem  more  satisfactory.  In 
America  you  wouldn't  catch  me  messing  with  a  little 
thing  like  this,  but  here  if  your  toe  aches  they  keep  you 
in  bed  for  fear  it  might  develop  into  spinal  meningitis." 

**  September  12th. 

"  I  began  to  fear  that  I  would  not  pan  out  for  our 
anniversary  supper,  but  by  staying  in  bed  all  the  morn- 
ing I  was  all  right.  We  had  a  very  pleasant  time.  We 
had  for  dinner  creamed  oysters  on  toast,  roast  young 
goose,  stuffed  potatoes,  peas,  giblet  gravy,  currant  jelly, 
olives,  tomato  salad,  apricot  ice  cream,  macaroons,  choco- 
late creams,  and  maple  sugar  candy.  It  was  really  deli- 
cious, and  one  of  the  best  meals  I  have  had  in  China,  if  I 
do  say  it.  We  haven't  solved  the  mystery  of  how  it  was 
done,  for  the  cook  was  a  blacksmith.  But  Tillie  had  a 
hand  in  it.  Then  the  geese  were  perfection  and  the  ice 
cream  never  was  surpassed. 

"  As  the  crowning  delight  of  our  anniversary  we  got 
our  cable  from  New  Haven.  We  had  given  it  up  this 
week,  but  as  we  were  beginning  dinner  at  noon  it  came 
— 14 — which  means,  *  The  society  accepts  the  Hunan 
invitation,  if  the  missionaries  advise  it.'  You  can  hardly 
realize  what  a  delight  and  comfort  and  relief  it  was.  All 
summer  we  had  walked  by  faith,  had  laid  plans,  ordered 
goods,  bought  land  because  we  believed  this  news  would 
come.  Now  we  can  walk  by  sight  a  little  way.  We  do 
not  have  to  change  a  plan.  All  we  have  done  fits  right 
in  and  is  ready  to  run  smoothly.  Any  other  news  would 
have  made  us  no  end  of  trouble.  I  wrote  at  once  to 
Stelle  that  the  house  in  Peking  was  theirs.  Then  I  wrote 
to  the  various  interested  missionaries  and  yesterday  called 


The  Chang-Sha  Invitation  287 

on  a  few  and  all  are  delighted.  I  announced  it  at  the 
supper  table  that  very  night,  as  Loby  and  Brock  had 
both  had  much  to  do  with  our  coming  here.  I  wrote 
Mr.  Roots  that  we  would  take  his  house  in  KuHng  next 
summer,  of  which  I  had  the  refusal  till  October  15th,  and 
wrote  Dr.  Keller,  of  Chang-Sha,  to  engage  a  house  when- 
ever he  saw  fit." 

"  Killings  China y  September  12^  igoj. 
**  Dear  Reed  : 

"  Your  cable  came  day  before  yesterday.  You 
can  have  little  idea  of  the  joy  and  satisfaction  and  com- 
fort it  brought  to  us.  We  felt  that  the  society  had 
accepted  the  greatest  opportunity  and  privilege  that  any 
missionary  organization  could  ask  for.  We  felt  that  now 
there  opened  before  the  Mission  an  ever  expanding  field 
of  influence  bounded  only  by  our  fitness  and  resources. 
We  thanked  God  and  took  courage.  We  had  expected 
that  this  would  be  the  result.  Of  course  it  would.  But 
the  assurance  was  a  comfort  nevertheless.  Personally  we 
felt  that  the  first  stage  of  our  work  was  done  and  that 
now  we  could  settle  down  to  preparation  for  the  work 
unhampered  by  constant  inquiries  and  investigations. 
Every  plan  is  laid  to  carry  out  just  the  program  author- 
ized by  the  cablegram.  Nothing  will  have  to  be  changed. 
"  I  am  now  at  liberty  to  tell  you  of  another  move  we 
made  this  summer  without  appearing  to  be  previous. 
KuHng  is  the  only  summer  resort  for  this  entire  region. 
Land  is  becoming  very  scarce  in  the  present  concession. 
They  have  tried  to  get  a  new  concession  but  have  so  far 
failed.  Some  good  authorities  believe  it  will  soon  be  ob- 
tained. More  seem  to  be  despondent.  At  any  rate  the 
buyers  were  running  no  risks.     We  saw  that  unless  we 


288  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

bought  at  least  one  lot  at  once  the  Mission  would  run  the 
risk  of  being  without  houses  and  be  forced  to  rent  for 
years,  which  is  both  expensive  and  unsatisfactory.  There 
was  but  one  lot  left  that  we  considered  well  located.  It 
had  been  held  by  a  speculator  and  no  one  seemed  to 
realize  that  it  was  on  the  market,  as  so  many  had  tried 
to  get  it  for  years.  We  took  it  in  less  than  forty-eight 
hours.  Ten  hours  later  we  could  not  have  had  it.  We 
were  buying  on  faith  that  the  Chang-Sha  invitation  would 
be  accepted.  But  we  had  no  right  to  use  Mission  money 
for  the  purpose,  even  if  such  a  sum  was  in  China  to  the 
credit  of  the  Mission.  So  we  paid  binding  money  and 
sent  home  for  some  we  had  laid  up  in  the  bank." 

(Family.)         "  September  20th, 
*'  The  doctors  have  finally  decided  that  I  have  malaria 
and  at  present  I  am  rejoicing  in  taking  Hquid  quinine 
which  is  by  far  the  finest  drink  I  have  ever  known.     My 
fever  is  going  down  and  I  am  feeling  much  stronger." 

{Dictated)  "Peking,  China,  October  6,  igoj. 

"  Dear  Reed  : 

"  I  might  as  well  tell  you  at  the  start  that  my  fever 
which  began  about  the  first  of  August,  is  still  with  me. 
The  doctors  are  completely  at  a  loss  to  explain  it.  As  a 
last  resort  I  was  sent  to  Dr,  McLeod  of  Shanghai  who  is 
supposed  to  be  the  best  physician  in  China.  He  can 
throw  no  light  on  it,  and  ordered  me  to  drop  all  medicine 
and  do  as  little  as  possible  in  the  way  of  work.  My  let- 
ters therefore  must  be  few  and  brief.  I  suppose  I  am 
getting  acclimated  and  too  much  work  and  responsibility 
have  made  the  process  more  trying  than  usual.  I  have 
certainly  reached  the  end  of  my  rope  for  the  present. 


The  Chang-Sha  Invitation  289 

and  yet  none  of  the  doctors  advised  me  to  stay  in  Peking 
for  the  winter.  I  do  not  think  you  need  be  worried 
about  me,  although  I  fear  I  shall  not  be  in  working  trim 
for  some  time  to  come.  Gage's  coming  will  be  a  great 
comfort." 


X 

"Ordered  Home 


«*  There  are  two  ways  in  which  a  workman  regards  his  work — as  his 
own  or  as  his  master's.  If  it  is  his  own,  then  to  leave  it  in  his  prime  is  a 
catastrophe,  if  not  a  cruel  and  unfathomable  wrong.  But  if  it  is  his 
master's,  one  looks  not  backwards,  but  before,  putting  by  the  well-worn 
tools  without  a  sigh,  and  expecting  elsewhere  better  work  to  do." — Henry 
Drummondy  ♦*  John  Ewing." 


X 

"  ORDERED  HOME  " 

THE  Thurstons  had  been  back  in  Peking  eighteen 
days,  and  the  work  of  breaking  up  the  home 
there  preparatory  to  moving  to  Chang-Sha 
was  nearly  completed.  Every  arrangement  had  been 
made  to  leave  the  city  about  the  first  of  November,  when, 
on  October  23d,  a  letter  came,  like  a  bolt  out  of  a  clear 
sky,  which  changed  all  their  plans.  It  was  from  Dr. 
Cochran,  who  after  consultation  with  Dr.  McLeod  of 
Shanghai,  pronounced  Lawrence's  illness  to  be  tuber- 
culosis. Both  physicians  agreed  in  urging  that  he  return 
to  America  without  delay. 

The  blow  to  long-cherished  plans  was  a  stunning  one ; 
but  it  was  true  of  Lawrence  and  of  his  wife,  as  it  is  true  of 
all  brave  souls,  that  in  the  crisis  which  they  were  now 
called  upon  to  face,  their  thoughts  turned  immediately 
from  themselves  to  the  homes  and  the  cause  which  they 
represented.  To  break  the  news  gently  to  the  loved 
ones  in  America ;  to  inspire  them  with  whatever  hope 
could  honestly  be  held  out ;  to  fire  those  who  were  en- 
trusted with  the  management  of  the  Mission  that  they 
should  send  forth  successors  over  the  beaten  path  to  the 
spot  where  the  pioneer  had  fallen,  thence  to  strike  a  new 
trail  on  into  the  unknown, — these  were  the  tasks  to 
which  they  now  applied  themselves. 

293 


294  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

(From  Lawrence  to  his  Family.) 

"  October  2^,  190J. 
"  My  dear  Ones  : 

"  We  both  of  us  feel  as  if  we  were  in  dreamland,  and 
as  if  soon  we  must  wake  up  and  find  it  all  a  mistake.  But 
no,  the  cloud  has  gathered,  and  will  not  go  at  present,  one 
of  the  darkest  clouds  that  could  have  come  over  our  sky. 
Can  you  believe  it  ?  I  am  ordered  home  for  my  health. 
I  might  have  believed  it  for  some  reasons,  nervousness  for 
instance.  But  not  for  tuberculosis  of  the  lungs.  The 
news  came  last  Friday,  and  we  were  struck  dumb. 
Dr.  McLeod  said  he  would  send  me  the  results  of  his 
tests,  and  as  they  did  not  come,  we  naturally  felt  confident 
that  that  was  not  the  trouble.  But  instead  he  sent  them 
to  the  doctor  who  last  had  me  in  Kuling,  and  he  could 
not  reach  me  till  he  did.  He  orders  me  home  at  once. 
Yesterday  I  was  examined  by  one  of  the  best  men  here, 
Dr.  Griggs,  and  he  gave  the  same  orders. 

"  Now,  first,  it  is  a  pure  case  of  infection.  Dr.  Berry's 
examinations  in  America  showed  not  the  least  tendency 
towards  it.  They  did  show  that  I  had  an  unusually  fine 
pair  of  lungs.  My  lungs  were  the  last  place  I  expected 
to  have  trouble  with.  But  North  China  dust  is  full  of  all 
uncleanness.  Instead  of  something  else  this  found  lodg- 
ing. Had  I  been  only  loafing  and  exercising  I  probably 
would  have  escaped.  I  was  working  hard,  though  not 
consciously  too  hard,  and  being  careful  about  exercise 
and  all,  but  my  system  wasn't  as  if  it  was  not  being  made 
use  of. 

"  Secondly,  there  is  every  reason  to  expect  cure.  I  do 
not  believe  that  is  a  doctor's  lie.  My  case  at  present  is 
nothing  compared  to  many  who  are  cured.  The  upper 
joint  of  the  left  lung  very  close  to  the  shoulder  is  affected 


"Ordered  Home"  295 

over  a  small  area.  There  is  some  chance  of  my  return- 
ing to  China.  Mr.  Walter  Lowrie,  one  of  the  greatest 
missionaries  in  North  China,  went  home  in  a  bad  way. 
In  three  years  he  was  cured,  and  back  at  his  work,  where 
he  is  doing  a  great  service.  But  returning  to  China  we 
need  not  discuss  now. 

"  Dr.  Cochran  supposed  of  course  I  would  go  East. 
Dr.  Griggs,  who  practised  in  Pittsburg  for  four  years,  and 
with  great  success,  and  who  knows  more  of  America, 
says  do  not  go  East  unless  there  is  a  marked  improve- 
ment on  the  voyage.     Stay  in  California  or  Colorado. 

"  We  leave  here  as  soon  as  possible,  and  go  by  the 
southern  route  to  San  Francisco.  I  trust  it  will  be  one 
of  their  far-famed  voyages.  In  San  Francisco  we  con- 
sult physicians,  and  follow  their  advice.  I  fear  we  may 
spend  the  winter  West. 

"  You  may  well  think  from  the  above  that  my  feelings 
are  boxed  for  shipment  and  I  have  settled  down  to  my 
new  business  without  any.  But  I  cannot  enlarge  on 
what  this  means  to  you,  to  the  Mission,  to  us.  To  you 
it  means  that  your  ambition  for  my  life  in  China  is 
probably  shattered.  It  means  that  a  son  is  sick.  To  the 
Mission — I  cannot  tell  all  it  means,  and  I  do  not  see  my 
way  there.  God  must  raise  up  a  better  man.  My  work 
seems  to  be  done  there.  If  I  can  only  get  all  the  strings 
which  are  in  my  hands  safely  into  another's  !  God  is  not 
dependent  on  any  one  of  us  to  do  this  work. 

"  To  us  it  means  shattered  hopes  and  plans.  But  who 
told  us  those  plans  and  hopes  were  surely  God's  for  us  ? 
Why  may  it  not  be  that  our  work  here  according  to 
God's  plan  is  done,  and  that  now  He  has  another  work 
elsewhere  which  He  has  all  along  planned  for  us  after 
this,  and  we  must  do  ?     I  did  not  give  myself  to  God  on 


296  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

condition  that  He  send  me  to  China,  or  to  the  Yale  Mis- 
sion, or  that  He  give  me  so  many  years  of  service  any- 
where. I  gave  myself  to  Him  for  Him  to  use  me — 
where  He  pleased.  He  has  greatly  blessed  us  this  year, 
and  I  have  often  said  to  Tillie  that,  if  I  had  to  give  up 
at  the  end  of  it,  I  would  feel  that  I  had  been  enabled  to 
do  at  least  something  for  China.  Very  few  new  mis- 
sionaries are  ever  given  the  opportunity.  That  God  gave 
it  to  me  is  a  great  joy. 

"  What  the  next  active  work  is  we  cannot  tell.  Our 
present  duty  is  to  get  me  well,  and  I  have  much  in  my 
favour.  My  lungs  do  not  expand  four  and  a  half  inches 
for  nothing.  To  stay  in  Cahfornia  for  perhaps  two  or 
three  years  seems  hard  when  we  want  to  see  you  so 
much.  We  may  not  have  to.  But  one  cannot  start  into 
an  Adirondack  winter  in  December.  Next  summer  we 
may  be  able  to  come  East.  But  we  shall  only  be  five 
days  apart  instead  of  five  weeks,  even  in  California.    .    ,    . 

"  There  is  one  to  whom  the  blow  is  perhaps  severest  of 
all — Tillie.     But  I  will  not  discuss  that. 

"  And  now  good-bye.  Do  not  worry.  God  is  Father 
and  still  guides  even  our  little  lives.  We  do  not  need  to 
fear.  If  He  does  not  want  our  active  service,  our  passive 
service  in  our  characters  may  be  what  He  sees  is  best  for 
us.  But  He  knows,  and  we  need  not  ask  to  know  now 
or  even  later. 

"  With  a  deal  of  love, 

"  Lawrence." 

(From  Mrs.  Thurston  to  the  Family.) 
"  It  does  not  mean  necessarily  that  we  must  never  re- 
turn to  China,  but  of  course  that  must  remain  behind  the 
curtain  yet  awhile.     The  future  looks  now  like  a  great 


"Ordered  Home'*  297 

wall  across  our  path,  but  I  am  sure  God  has  some  work 
for  us  yet.  The  year  has  been  a  year  of  work  and  we 
have  been  able  to  accomplish  much.  I  think  I  am  not 
speaking  with  a  wife's  prejudice,  when  I  say  that  I  do  not 
believe  any  man  connected  at  present  with  the  Yale 
Mission  could  have  done  what  Lawrence  has  done  this 
year  in  investigating  and  practically  setthng  the  question 
of  place  and  work  for  the  Yale  Mission,  to  say  nothing 
of  making  friends  for  it  all  up  and  down  China.  It  is 
mighty  hard  on  the  Mission  to  lose  him  now  for  the  next 
two  years,  but  we  shall  be  able  to  give  Brownell  much, 
if  we  can  see  him  for  a  week  or  two  before  he  sails,  and 
Lawrence  will  be  at  hand,  to  consult  with,  even  if  he  can- 
not be  in  New  Haven.  I  hiow  God  has  more  work  for 
us  to  do  for  Him,  and  we  are  content  to  wait  until  He 
shows  us  what  it  is.  Our  hearts  will  be  in  China,  and  if 
God  gives  us  the  strength  we  will  be  so  glad  if  we  can 
come  back  to  the  Yale  Mission. 

"  All  the  above  sounds  rather  unfeeHng,  but  you  must 
know  without  my  going  into  details  how  it  hurts.  It  is 
the  first  sorrow  that  has  ever  come  to  either  of  us,  but 
God  gives  strength  and  courage  and  we  can  even  be  joy- 
ful. Oh,  how  my  heart  has  gone  out  these  last  two  days 
to  the  great  world  of  people  who  must  meet  all  the  hard 
things  of  life  without  knowing  that  they  are  in  a  Father's 
keeping — a  Father  who  will  make  it  all  work  for  good  to 
the  children  that  love  Him.  I  have  always  felt  that  I 
could  meet  trouble  this  way,  but  now  I  hiow.  Most 
people  will  be  sorriest  for  me.  I  feel  that  it  is  hardest  for 
Lawrence.  It  is  such  a  disappointment  to  have  to  give 
up  now  even  with  the  hope  of  coming  back,  and  he  has 
to  bear  the  burden  of  the  struggle  for  health.  And  then 
he  feels  that  it  is  hard  on  me.     But  I  don't  want  you  to 


298  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

waste  any  sympathy  on  me.  I  have  my  *  dearest '  yet, 
and  please  God  I  shall  have  him  for  a  long  life  together, 
and  there  will  be  joy  in  being  able  to  do  so  much  to  help 
Lawrence  get  well.  It  is  only  joy  to  do  for  those  we 
love. 

"  It's  mighty  hard  on  the  Mission,  but  Yale  doesn't 
give  up  easily,  and  God  does  not  depend  upon  any  one 
of  us  to  get  His  work  done.  There  will  be  men  raised 
up  and  the  work  will  go  on.  I  am  sure  God  has  been  in 
the  plan  and  still  is." 

(From  Lawrence  to  Dr.  Reed.) 

"  October  26,  igoj. 

"  I  hardly  know  where  to  begin  or  what  to  say.  A 
blow  has  struck  that  dazes  us  both,  and  it  takes  the 
heart  out  of  me  to  tell  the  committee.  I  am  ordered  to 
America  at  once  because  of  tuberculosis  of  the  lungs. 
According  to  the  doctors  it  is  a  pure  case  of  infection  and 
is  only  at  its  very  beginning.  They  give  me  every  rea- 
son to  expect  complete  recovery  in  two  or  three  years. 
There  would  be  a  bare  chance  of  recovery  if  I  stayed  in 
China,  but  every  doctor  says  leave  immediately  and  get 
into  the  best  conditions  there  are  in  America.  There  is  a 
fair  hope  of  my  being  able  to  return  to  China.     .     .     . 

"  I  do  not  wish  the  committee  to  blame  themselves  in 
the  slightest  way  for  the  situation.  If  I  have  had  more 
responsibility  to  bear  than  was  safe  for  me  and  therefore 
reduced  my  strength,  till  I  was  more  easily  subject  to 
infection,  it  is  no  one's  fault.  Nor  can  I  say  that  I 
blame  myself  for  the  work  that  I  have  done.  It  had  to 
be  done,  and  it  had  to  be  done  this  year,  as  results  show. 
I  never  consciously  overworked,  perhaps  because  of  the 
exhilaration   of  the   North   China  climate.     Some  may 


"  Ordered  Home  "  299 

write  that  I  foolishly  overworked.  But  certainly  no  one 
suggested  it  to  me  during  the  months  that  I  was  so  busy. 
"  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  say  that  the  blow  is  a  ter- 
rible one  to  us.  To  be  forced  to  leave  the  Mission  at  a 
time  when  we  seem  to  be  most  needed  is  very  hard. 
We  have  the  entire  China  end  clearly  in  our  minds. 
Friends  are  made  throughout  the  country.  We  know 
with  just  whom  to  consult,  and  just  where  we  may  expect 
the  most  help.  There  are  difficulties  of  which  we  know 
that  are  hard  to  explain.  Poor  Gage  will  have  to  begin 
his  life  without  us,  and  we  have  already  learned  what  it 
means  to  be  the  only  representative  of  the  Mission.  But 
it  is  clearly  God's  will,  and  we  may  look  for  the  reason  to 
be  made  clear  some  time.  If  we  have  finished  our  work 
in  China  it  must  have  been  God's  plan,  and  He  knows 
where  His  next  work  for  us  lies.  But  we  hope  and  pray 
that  we  may  be  able  to  do  what  others  have  done,  return. 
The  fact  that  I  came  to  China  without  the  least  tendency, 
hereditary  or  constitutional,  towards  the  trouble  ;  and  the 
fact  that  the  examining  physicians  both  for  the  Mission 
and  the  insurance  company  should  think  that  my  lungs 
were  one  of  my  strongholds  increases  the  hope  of  com- 
plete recovery  very  greatly." 

Scarcely  more  than  a  week  after  the  receipt  of 
Dr.  Cochran's  letter  the  Thurstons  left  Peking,  and  on 
November  7th  sailed  from  Tientsin  for  Kobe,  Japan. 
Arriving  here  they  spent  two  days  at  the  Girls'  College, 
where  friends  showed  them  every  kindness.  On  Novem- 
ber 14th  they  sailed  from  Kobe  on  the  steamship  Chinas 
and  shortly  after  Lawrence  received  the  first  message  of 
cheer  from  one  of  his  old  friends.  It  was  a  letter  from 
Enoch  Bell,  Lawrence's  classmate  at  Yale  and  at  Auburn, 


300  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

who  was  now  located  at  Sapporo,  Japan,  as  a  missionary 
of  the  American  Board. 


"  What's  this  I  have  just  heard,  you  dear  old  man  ? 
Have  you  really  been  ordered  home  to  recuperate? 
.  .  .  If  you  are  on  the  Qmia  when  this  letter  reaches 
you,  as  the  Irishman  would  say,  just  think  of  these  two 
friends  in  Sapporo  as  praying  that  you  may  soon  return 
to  the  East.  We  can  hardly  spare  you.  But  cheer  up, 
old  man.  I'll  bet  you  are  cheerful  anyhow.  I  never 
yet  saw  you  *  down  in  the  dumps.'  You'll  be  able  to  do 
a  good  work  at  home. 

" «  My  God  shall  supply  all  your  need  according  to  His 
riches  in  glory  in  Christ  Jesus.'  " 

Two  days  were  spent  ashore  with  friends  at  Yokohama 
while  the  steamship  was  coaling,  and  then  the  long  voy- 
age across  the  Pacific  began,  with  a  break  on  Thanks- 
giving day,  which  the  Thurstons  spent  at  Honolulu  at 
the  home  of  Hiram  Bingham.  On  December  4th  the 
boat  arrived  at  San  Francisco. 

The  doctors  were  at  once  consulted.  It  was  finally 
decided  that  the  Thurstons  should  go  to  San  Bernardino. 
After  a  few  days  of  prospecting  in  the  town  itself  Law- 
rence and  his  wife  settled  down  in  a  shack  on  the  moun- 
tainside ten  miles  from  the  center  of  the  city. 

And  then  it  was  that  Lawrence  first  came  to  know 
how  large  a  place  he  held  in  the  affections  and  regard  of 
his  friends.  "  We  received  a  big  mail  to-day,"  he  wrote 
a  few  days  after  his  arrival,  "  many  from  America  and  a 
lot  from  China  forwarded.  .  .  .  The  letters  from  the 
committee  are  fine.  We  certainly  are  much  blessed  in 
having  such  backers.     We  indeed  thank  God  for  such 


"Ordered  Home"  301 

friends  and  such  appreciation  of  what  God  has  enabled 
us  to  do.  ...  I  was  thinking  to-day  that  there  is 
not  another  occupation  that  I  know  of,  where  one  is 
cared  for  as  he  is  as  a  missionary  under  a  good  board. 
Mr.  Beach  writes  from  the  standpoint  of  a  somewhat 
similar  experience.  He  says  he  thinks  the  blow  has 
already  been  a  blessing  to  all  the  committee.  We  have 
prayed  for  this,  and  especially  that  it  might  stir  up  Yale 
men  to  realize  the  cost  of  missions." 

From  the  committee  in  New  Haven  came  the  follow- 
ing messages : 

(From  Professor' Williams.) 
"  In  plain  every-day  language  we  who  have  the  Mission 
at  heart  are  dreadfully  cut  up  at  the  news  of  your  illness, 
and  first  and  foremost  concerned  about  you  personally. 
.  .  .  And  let  me  say  in  a  word  that  your  work  and 
the  impression  you  have  made  are  splendid.  It  has  all 
been  of  the  best  type  and  we  are  proud  of  you.  Don't 
worry  over  your  enforced  idleness  now,  but  remember 
that  you've  already  made  a  record  to  be  proud  of,  and 
that  your  one  business  at  present  is  to  get  well  while  we 
try  our  best  to  take  care  of  the  Mission  and  of  you." 

(From  Mr.  Stokes.) 
"  And  remember  that  we  all  feel  that  you  have  done  a 
very^  very  important  year's  work.  In  fact,  I  can  say  truth- 
fully that  I  don't  know  of  any  man  of  your  years  who 
has  done  a  more  valuable  piece  of  work  this  past  year. 
You  have  made  the  right  impression  at  home  and  abroad 
and  have  got  the  site  and  stamp  of  your  work  decided 
upon." 


302  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

(From  Professor  Reed.) 
"  The  committee  feels  that  you  have  done  wonders. 
You  have  given  us  our  field  and  our  opportunity,  and 
that  is  worth  three  years'  good  work,  so  that  if  you  have 
to  take  two  years'  rest,  it  will  even  up.  We  are  all  very 
hopeful  for  the  future  and  wish  you  and  your  wife  to  feel 
that  we  thoroughly  appreciate  all  you  have  done.  Don't 
get  blue.  It's  all  right,  and  you'll  come  out  of  this 
stronger  than  ever." 

No  less  genuine  were  the  expressions  of  sympathy  and 
regard  from  Lawrence's  associates  and  fellow-workers  in 
the  cause  of  missions.  Secretary  Barton  of  the  Amer- 
ican Board  wrote : 

"  You  have  already  made  an  aggressive  beginning. 
Many  a  man  has  been  half  a  lifetime  in  the  mission  field 
without  laying  foundations  for  so  much  permanent  work 
as  you  have  laid  already." 

From  Shanghai  came  the  following  messages : 

*'  There  are  many  things  you  would  have  liked  to  have 
done  in  the  years  before  you  here,  but  there  is  one  thing 
you  have  done  which  perhaps  few  others  could  have 
done,  or  done  so  well,  and  that  is,  you  have  made  a 
place  for  the  Yale  Mission^  and  you  have  made  friends 
for  it  in  so  rare  and  tactful  a  way  that,  whoever  comes 
now,  he  will  be  coming  to  warm  friends  and  a  sure 
welcome." 

"  I  assure  you  that  it  makes  a  big  hole  in  China  for  the 
Thurstons  to  leave  it.  We  had  begun  to  feel  already 
that  you  were  an  inseparable  part  of  the  country.     We 


"  Ordered  Home  *'  303 

shall,  of  course,  hope  that  you  may  speedily  get  back  to 
us ;  but  whether  you  get  back  or  not,  we  shall  know  that 
America  has  a  big  influence  for  the  good  of  this  country 
which  it  has  never  had  before.  Your  prayers  and  your 
continued  influence  we  shall  count  upon  largely. 

"  You  have  done  a  great  work  already  in  determining 
as  you  have  done  the  plans,  and  in  fixing  upon  the  field 
of  the  Yale  Mission.  You  have  accomplished  more,  in 
my  opinion,  than  some  missionaries  do  in  a  whole  life- 
time of  work  in  China.  In  the  thoroughness  with  which 
you  have  studied  the  situation,  and  the  wisdom  in  which 
you  have  dealt  with  it,  you  have  certainly  justified  many 
times  your  coming  out." 

But  most  precious  of  all  were  the  messages  which  came 
from  the  home  and  the  college  circle,  from  his  most  in- 
timate friends  in  a  common  faith  who  would  some  day  go 
out  as  he  had  to  a  foreign  land  ;  and  from  those  whom  he 
loved  to  call  his  "  backers,"  who,  though  busy  in  other 
walks  of  life,  were  not  too  busy  to  open  their  hearts  at 
such  a  time  as  this.  And  we  all  felt  that  we  knew  in- 
stinctively just  what  Lawrence  could  do  in  the  face  of  his 
disappointed  hopes  and  delayed  plans.  We  were  sure 
that  with  a  quiet  smile  he  would  strengthen  his  hold  on 
the  realities  of  life  and  turn  to  get  w^hatever  elements  of 
joy  and  usefulness  the  enforced  vacation  could  bring. 
And  that  was  precisely  what  he  did. 

How  full  of  hope  and  cheer  and  fun  the  letters  were 
that  came  from  California  during  those  winter  months. 
On  the  night  before  Christmas  he  wrote  home : 

"  First  I  want  to  tell  you  how  much  your  letters  this 
past  week  have  meant  to  us.     Or  rather  I  cannot  tell 


304  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

you.  In  fact  we  have  received  letters  from  everywhere 
that  have  meant  a  great  deal.  Few  if  any  spoke  as  if 
we  were  sitting  with  a  pail  to  catch  our  tears.  We  are 
certainly  far  from  that,  for  we  are  laughing  and  jollying 
as  if  on  a  picnic.  But  nevertheless  it  does  us  a  deal  of 
good  to  know  that  our  loved  ones  sympathize  so  deeply 
with  us,  and  to  have  them  say  so.  A  fellow  hardly 
knows  how  much  others  love  him  till  he  strikes  a  snag 
like  this.     .     .     . 

"  The  letters  from  New  Haven  too  have  been  wonders. 
Oh,  they  are  bricks  down  there.     .     .     . 

"  To-morrow  is  Christmas.  Who  would  think  it,  and 
I  fear  we  will  have  a  hard  time  thinking  it  here.  The 
doctor  couldn't  get  anything  that  went  on  two  legs  in  all 
San  Bernardino.  This  morning  the  nearest  we  will  come 
to  a  turkey  will  be  boiled  mutton.  We  cannot  roast  it. 
But  we  have  your  turkey  [a  papier-mache  affair  filled  with 
small  joke  presents  from  Whitinsville]  which  we  hope  to 
carve  to-morrow,  and  what  more  do  we  want  ?     Also 

Aunt  L 's  two  books  have  come.     The  rest  will  come 

straggling  in  in  a  few  months.  We  shall  think  of  you  if 
we  dare  to.  I  find  it  easier  not  to  dream  in  certain  direc- 
tions." 

A  few  weeks  later  he  wrote  describing  the  life  in  the 
canyon. 

"  All  this  reminds  me  to  speak  of  the  joys  of  sleeping 
under  the  open  sky.  One's  sensations  are  various, 
pleasant,  strange,  and  disagreeable.  If  there  is  a  heavy 
fall  of  dew  your  top  covering  is  covered  with  diamonds, 
only  they  are  very  wet  ones  if  you  have  to  draw  up  an- 
other rug  on  top  of  them.     You  also  find  that  you  have 


"Ordered  Home"  305 

but  one  dry  spot  to  put  your  head  on,  and  that  the  very  one 
where  it  has  just  been.     Around  your  neck  is  a  dry  circle 
of  clothing  provided  you  do  not  move.     Otherwise  you 
spend  considerable  time  trying  to  find  the  old  warm  spot 
in  exchange  for  the  new  and  very  damp  one.     I  just  dote 
on  it  when  the  dew  falls.     It  must  be  still  more  glorious 
when  it  rains.     Another  interesting  feature  is  that  you 
are  never  in  the  dark.     About  half  the  time  there  is  a 
moon,  and  then  you  are  sleeping  in  practically  daylight. 
The  rest  of  the  time  the  stars  furnish  more  light  than  is 
welcome.     Unless  it  happens  to  be  cloudy,  which  it  al- 
most never  is  here,  you  can  see  about  you  with  compara- 
tive ease,  very  nice  if  you  wish  to  study  night  landscapes, 
but  not  as  good  for  sleeping  as  a  little  of  Egypt's  dark- 
ness.    I  never  saw  so  much  of  the  moon  in  my  life. 
.     Perhaps  you  think  I  spend  considerable  time  in- 
vestigating my  surroundings,  but  I   must  confess  that 
there  are  at  least  moments  when   I  do  not  sleep.     For 
sleeping  purposes  I  prefer  a  little  less  naked  nature  and  a 
little   more  protection  from  the  elements.      But  never 
mind.     All  these  things  combined  are  certainly  making  a 
new  man  of  me.     TilHe  informed  me  to-night  that  she 
had  never  seen  me  looking  so  well.     And  what  encour- 
ages us  both  very  much  is  that  I  am  regaining  my  re- 
cuperative powers.     In  'Frisco  I  did  a  little  too  much  one 
day  and  the  next  I  spent  practically  on  my  back.     Now  I 
do   more  at  times  and  do  not  find  myself  more  than 
normally  tired  and  am  rested  in  a  night.     Of  course  I  can 
do  ridiculously  little  even  now,  and  always  try  to  do  less 
than  I  can.     My  great  danger  is  that  I  will  mistake  nerves 
for  new  strength.     But  as  I  realize  this  I  guard  against  it. 
I  suppose  I  ought  not  to  be  thinking  so  much  about  my- 
self.    I  try  not  to,  but  I  do  like  to  be  able  to  report  what 


3o6  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

there  is  to  encourage  you.     I  can  honestly  say  that  there 
is  nothing  adverse  to  report." 

A  week  later  he  wrote: 

"  Phillips  Brooks  preached  to-day,  and  I  guess  there 
were  not  many  in  the  region  that  had  a  better  ser- 
mon. Last  Sunday  Spurgeon  preached  but  we  were 
much  disappointed  in  the  sermon.  The  school-teacher 
now  comes  to  the  services  and  enjoys  them.  The  three 
of  us  constitute  all  the  audience  we  can  muster. 

"  Talk  about  New  England  weather  as  variable.  It  can't 
touch  South  California,  in  the  rainy  season.  Not  that  it 
is  raining,  but  you  are  supposed  always  to  expect  it,  and 
when  it  catches  you  off  your  guard  it  does  come.  I  have 
brought  in  wood  for  a  three  days'  ducking  twice  this 
week  and  all  we  got  out  of  it  was  a  clear  sky.  When  it 
does  come  we  shall  probably  get  soaked.  I  may  anyway. 
For  when  you  are  sleeping  under  the  vault  of  heaven  you 
can't  be  sure  of  waking  up  the  moment  the  plumbing 
bursts.  Cloudy  nights  (the  nights  we  have  found  it 
doesn't  rain)  I  have  shrunk  from  risking  it,  although 
advocates  of  outdoor  sleeping  make  no  exceptions.  I 
wish  they  would  try  it  some  rainy  night.  Of  course  I 
agree  with  them,  as  my  actions  prove.  Now  I  have  in- 
vented a  scheme  which  promises  to  work  especially  when 
that  myth  of  a  tent  fly  comes.  I  run  the  head  of  my  bed 
out  about  three  feet.  I  do  not  understand  that  one's  feet 
must  be  out-of-doors  also.  I  can  turn  round  some  night 
if  they  do.  Then  if  it  rains  Tillie  can  easily  pull  me 
in  out  of  harm's  way.  If  we  both  had  to  get  up 
and  get  out  in  the  rain  and  turn  the  bed  around  and 
poke    it   in,  I   suspect  we  would   need   treatment    for 


"Ordered  Home"  307 

other  maladies  besides  tubies.  Once  this  rainy  season  is 
over  this  excitement  will  pass.  But  when  we  came 
here  no  one  told  of  a  rainy  season.  The  doctor  has 
to  account  for  a  good  many  things  he  did  and  didn't  tell 
us.  But  Arizona  might  have  been  as  bad.  We  are  not 
used  to  this  race  of  men,  despite  the  fact  that  they  seem 
most  like  a  cross  between  the  Chinese  and  the  Anglo- 
Saxon.  We  were  told  up  and  down  and  assured  again 
and  again  that  we  could  stay  here  the  year  round.  It 
was  the  principal  attraction  for  us  and  therefore  as  we 
gave  ourselves  away  it  was  especially  emphasized.  But 
if  the  summer  is  any  hotter  than  to-day,  the  dry  air  cure 
would  turn  us  both  out  fine  Egyptian  mummies.  I  will 
discuss  changes  of  location  later.  But  I  spoke  above  of 
varieties.  Last  Wednesday  we  had  one.  The  north 
wind  blew  and  the  sun  (the  only  heating  apparatus  there 
is  to  keep  us  from  thinking  it  is  winter)  was  under  clouds. 
With  the  sun  in  that  condition  we  are  always  chilly. 
Fortunately  it  has  not  happened  but  three  times,  though 
the  result  is  the  same  every  day  between  three  and  four. 
But  it  happened  Wednesday.  This  shack  with  a  wind  is 
like  all  out-of-doors.  The  stove  had  as  much  effect  as  a 
fire  in  a  tomato  can.  Tillie  would  not  let  me  get  up  till 
noon.  Then  we  both  froze.  The  wind  was  so  strong 
that  it  made  us  both  nervous  and  wore  on  us  so  that  we 
both  went  to  bed  tired  out.  The  next  day  came  out  a 
dream  of  warmth  and  beauty,  and  my  wrath  cooled  (a 
strange  paradox).  I  was  about  on  the  point  of  driving 
to  town  and  demanding  what  they  thought  we  were  made 
of.  The  trouble  is  that  weather  in  town  is  not  the  same 
as  here,  and  they  may  have  thought  we  were  as  well  off 
as  ever.  Since  then  the  weather  has  been  charming,  and 
our  plan  of  moving  to  town  till  we  did  not  need  to  dodge 


3o8  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

the  rainy  season  has  melted  before  the  sun  only  to  be 
revived  the  next  bad  day.     .     .     . 

"  Despite  all  these  disturbing  elements  I  continue  to 
gain.  Thursday  I  walked  fully  half  a  mile  and  Friday  a 
mile  without  too  great  weariness,  and  I  assure  you  that 
has  not  been  possible  for  many  months.  As  my  strength 
returns,  my  gains  will  be  more  rapid,  I  should  think. 
The  doctors  say  my  voice  has  improved.  As  this  was, 
according  to  the  'Frisco  doctors,  half  the  trouble,  I  am 
still  more  encouraged.  I  sometimes  wonder  if  I  do 
enough  to  help  along.  But  authorities  differ  so  radically 
that  one  despairs,  his  only  satisfaction  being  that  if  he 
does  nothing  he  will  be  at  least  following  one  school. 

"  Now  good-bye.  This  week  you  will  think  of  us  as 
with  Brownell  and  Helen  [Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gage]  and  I 
tell  you  we  are  looking  forward  to  it  with  the  greatest 
pleasure." 

During  the  last  week  in  January  the  monotony  of 
camp  life  was  broken  by  a  visit  from  the  Gages,  who 
were  on  their  way  to  China  as  the  successors  of  the 
Thurstons  in  the  Yale  Mission.  Shortly  after  their  de- 
parture the  failure  of  all  facilities  for  water  and  supplies 
on  the  mountainside  made  it  necessary  for  Lawrence  and 
his  wife  to  move  to  town,  and  on  the  first  of  February 
they  settled  down  in  a  little  house  on  C  Street.  Early 
in  March  Lawrence's  mother  and  sister  came  for  an  ex- 
tended visit,  and  the  united  family  passed  a  happy  month 
together. 

"  Just  because  mamma  and  Isabel  are  here  it  is  not  fair 
to  you  who  cannot  be  to  leave  you  without  the  usual 


"Ordered  Home"  309 

weekly  breeze,  unless  perchance  that  treatment  might  be 
a  relief.  There  is  no  use  in  saying  that  we  are  enjoying 
their  being  here,  because  that  falls  so  far  short  of  the 
truth  that  it  is  almost  untruth.  It  is  just  simply  too 
good  to  be  true.  Yet  it  seems  just  as  natural  as  if  we 
had  not  wandered  all  over  China,  collected  insects  for  the 
American  market,  and  been  busy  for  three  months  in 
another  strange  land  getting  rid  of  them  before  we  re- 
turned to  the  real  America,  that  is,  the  America  that  is 
old  enough  to  wear  short  trousers.  .  .  .  We  have 
not  done  much  since  but  see  each  other  and  I  have  again 
keenly  realized  what  a  deprivation  to  me,  not  to  others, 
is  my  lack  of  a  voice.  Having  the  tales  of  eighteen 
months  to  tell,  imagine  my  condition.  ...  I  have 
talked,  and  doubtless  too  much,  but  now  I  am  going  to 
be  good.     .     .     . 

"  I  have  just  come  in  from  a  sun-bath  in  the  back  yard, 
and  the  birds  there  reminded  me  that  I  have  never  told 
you  about  our  birds.  In  the  canyon  they  used  to  sit  on 
every  bush,  and  we  feared  that  here  they  might  leave 
us.  But,  save  for  the  wild  birds,  they  are  thick  enough. 
Whether  they  consider  this  only  a  transient  hotel  and 
will  move  soon,  remains  to  be  seen.  Since  the  robins 
came  the  sparrows  are  not  as  thick,  and  may  have 
moved  out.  In  New  England  we  just  have  samples  of 
the  birds.  This  is  one  of  the  wholesale  departments. 
This  morning  there  were  at  least  eleven  robins  drinking 
at  once  at  a  puddle,  and  they  kept  coming  and  going  as 
if  it  were  a  soda-water  fountain.  Some  may  have  found 
another  nickel  and  come  back,  but  most  were  first  comers, 
I  think.  I  regret  to  say  that  the  robins  seem  to  prefer 
stronger  drinks  than  the  sparrows.  In  fact,  the  sparrows 
were  more  particular  than  a  good  many  of  the  higher 


310  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

animals.  One  of  our  hydrants  leaks,  and  the  sparrows 
have  always  drunk  from  the  drip.  I  thought  I  could 
help  them  along  by  giving  them  water  in  a  dish.  But 
few  would  touch  it.  They  preferred  to  cling  to  the  little 
post  beside  the  hydrant,  and  fill  their  bills  with  the  occa- 
sional drop  which  oozed  from  the  pipe.  But  not  a  robin 
has  drunk  there  to  my  knowledge.  Instead,  they  imbibe 
quantities  of  water  from  our  sink  drain,  doubtless  more 
nourishing,  but  not  proper  for  a  robin.  Food  seems  to 
be  their  principal  aim  in  life,  for  they  are  much  more 
busy  eating  than  the  sparrows,  which  are  happy  playing 
hide-and-go-seek  among  the  trees.  In  fact,  it  is  as  good 
as  a  trained  animal  show  to  see  them  at  the  hydrant. 
There  is  only  room  for  one,  and  that  means  waiting  for 
something  else.  It  was  usually  something  else  before 
the  drinker  had  got  more  than  three  drops.  Up  would 
fly  one,  two  or  three  thirsty  ones,  and  off  would  go  the 
first,  and  also  two  others.  Then  the  game  would  be 
repeated  till  the  end  of  the  chapter,  with  variations  to 
make  it  interesting.  Sometimes  one  would  try  to  be  a 
woodpecker  and  hang  on  from  beneath,  but  this  per- 
version of  nature  never  worked.  Meanwhile,  mind  you, 
there  were  pans  of  fresh  water  below.  We  have  some 
pretty  superior  sparrows  here.  Some  have  little  red 
crests,  but  the  gayest  sport  red  vests,  which  if  a  little 
larger  would  suggest  baby  robins.  The  blackbirds  are 
in  town,  but  perhaps  they  agree  with  the  merchants  that 
we  live  too  far  out — or  else  they  do  not  like  robins. 
Anyhow,  we  have  to  see  them  elsewhere,  and,  as  usual 
with  the  birds  here,  they  are  fairly  tame  so  that  you  can 
see  them.  Yesterday  we  drove  past  two  that  gave  us  a 
beautiful  view  of  their  iridescent  plumage.  Two  wood- 
peckers often  remind  us  of  electric  buzzers  and  make 


"Ordered  Home"  311 

strangers  jump.  There  are  some  mocking-birds  that 
furnish  music  in  the  morning  and  make  other  noises 
when  it  is  hotter.  What  is  coming  next  we  must  wait 
to  see." 


But  although  the  letters  rang  with  cheer  and  courage, 
there  were  other  thoughts  than  those  of  stars  and  of 
birds  which  came  to  Lawrence  in  the  long  nights  on  the 
mountainside,  and  later  as  he  sat  beneath  the  bower  of 
roses  in  the  quiet  of  the  San  Bernardino  home.  Alone 
with  God  he  made  the  same  request  which  all  men 
instinctively  make  when  the  sorrow  comes — which  even 
the  Master  made.  It  was  the  request  that  the  cup  might 
pass  from  him.  But  like  the  Master,  in  entire  resigna- 
tion, he  left  the  decision  with  God. 

"  John  5  :  6.  Would'st  thou  be  made  whole  ?  Christ 
asks  me  that  also,  and  is  as  ready  to  answer  it.  But  am 
I  as  ready  to  rise  up  and  walk  ?  Does  it  take  more  faith 
for  me  than  for  the  man  ?  If  it  does,  still  I  have  more 
evidence,  and  more  reason  for  faith.  Why  do  I  not  rise 
up  and  walk  ? — Go  out  and  expect  to  be  whole,  and  be 
whole  ? 

"  Oh,  Christ,  I  do  not  know.  Thy  power  is  the  same. 
Why  do  I  not  ?  Teach  me  exactly  what  is  my  part  and 
my  heritage  and  give  me  the  faith  to  accept  and  receive 
it." 

Early  in  April,  Lawrence's  mother  left  for  home,  and 
up  to  the  middle  of  this  same  month  Lawrence  had 
gained  steadily.  The  fact  that  the  warm  season  was 
approaching,  and  that  the  house  at  San  Bernardino  was 


312  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

about  to  be  sold,  necessitated  a  change  in  location,  and 
in  the  middle  of  April  Mrs.  Thurston  visited  Claremont, 
which  was  about  twenty-five  miles  distant,  and  secured 
quarters  for  the  summer  months.  On  the  1st  of  May 
the  family  moved  thither. 

Three  days  after  the  arrival  Lawrence  stayed  in  bed 
all  the  morning,  the  first  time  that  he  had  cared  to  do  so 
since  his  illness  began.  "  Oh,  I  do  hate  this  so,"  he  said, 
"  this  just  being  sick."  Later  in  the  day  he  became  very 
ill.  He  seemed  dazed,  and  talked  very  little,  although  he 
craved  being  read  to,  as  he  often  had  in  his  earlier  days. 
Later  in  the  day  he  lapsed  into  unconsciousness.  The 
doctor  pronounced  him  very  ill  with  cerebral  embolism 
and  gave  little  hope  of  recovery.  Then  followed  the  six 
days  and  nights  while  the  devoted  wife  and  sister  watched 
by  the  bedside  for  the  return  to  consciousness.  But  it 
was  not  so  to  be  and  on  the  lOth  of  May,  in  the  evening, 
he  passed  on,  obedient  to  that  summons,  the  deeper 
meaning  of  which  he  had  not  fully  reahzed  when  seven 
months  before,  standing  upon  China's  soil,  he  had  been 
"  ordered  home." 


And  what  of  the  task  that  had  been  so  suddenly  ter- 
minated, and  of  the  life  itself  so  soon  laid  down  ?  Was 
the  task  finished  and  was  the  life  complete  ?  Who  will 
dare  say  that  it  was  not  ?  Of  whom  can  it  ever  be  said, 
that  their  work  is  finished  save  of  those  alone  who,  fol- 
lowing in  the  Master's  steps,  know  the  will  of  God  and 
do  it  ?  Two  weeks  later  when  we  gathered  in  the  Con- 
gregational Church  at  Whitinsville,  close  by  the  home 
which  he  loved  so  well,  and  looked  for  the  last  time 


"Ordered  Home"  313 

upon  his  face,  we  could  not  but  feel  that  after  all  there 
was  a  peculiar  completeness  about  those  thirty  years ; 
and  somehow  it  did  not  seem  so  strange  to  us  that 
he  who  has  obeyed  his  Master's  will  so  faithfully  in  all 
else,  should  have  obeyed  at  the  last  when  he  had  been 
"  ordered  home." 

How  often  this  thought — the  thought  of  the  peculiar 
completeness  of  those  few  years — found  expression  in  the 
messages  which  came  to  the  home  in  Whitinsville : 

"  The  secret  of  individual  personality,  I  believe,"  wrote 
one,  "  is  that  every  man's  life  is  a  thought  of  God  and 
meant  to  be  an  expression  of  one  element  in  the  divine 
perfection.  If  that  be  so,  a  man's  life  is  complete  as  soon 
as  that  thought  of  God  has  been  uttered  clearly  in  his 
personality.  ...  It  could  not  have  been  made 
clearer  in  Lawrence's  life  by  any  multiplied  duration  of 
existence  here.  So  in  that  sense  his  life  seems  complete 
to  me.  He  spoke  to  the  world  the  individual  message 
God  gave  him  to  utter." 

"  If  his  time  in  China  was  short  it  was  yet  most  im- 
portant," wrote  another,  "  for  it  changed  the  entire  plan 
of  the  Mission  and  secured  for  it  a  field  second  to  none  in 
the  empire.  He  built  on  the  costliest  of  foundations,  a 
rich  and  full  life,  freely  offered  up  for  a  great  cause. 
.  .  .  His  death  assured  the  Mission  of  its  perma- 
nence." 

"  1  can  only  repeat  to  you  the  strong  conviction  which 
I  have  already  expressed,"  was  the  message  from  a  third, 
"  that  his  life  was  as  fruitful  a  one,  judged  by  the  right 
standards,  as  that  of  any  recent  graduate  of  Yale." 

"  Lawrence  Thurston  may  be  said  to  have  accomplished 
the  service  of  a  lifetime  in  a  year,"  wrote  yet  another. 


314  A  Life  With  a  Purpose 

"...  He  recognized  his  opportunity  with  the  same 
promptness  that  distinguishes  a  great  leader  in  a  moment 
of  crisis,  proving  in  this  single  operation  a  fitness  much 
above  the  average  of  men.  That  he  came  home  so  soon 
thereafter  to  die  was  a  bitter  grief  to  those  who  loved 
him,  but  they  do  not  bewail  a  fortune  that  was  unkind  to 
him,  since  few  missionaries  have  done  so  much  in  years 
of  service  for  their  boards  as  he  completed  in  eleven 
months." 


And  yet  with  the  passing  years,  this  thought — the 
thought  of  the  completeness  of  the  life — has  strangely 
enough  yielded  first  place  in  many  of  our  minds  to  still 
another, — to  a  thought  that  has  come  but  will  not  go. 
It  is  a  thought  that  makes  itself  felt  with  compelling 
sweetness  in  those  rare  moments  when  the  heart  some- 
times has 

**  Intimations  clear  of  wider  scope, 
Hints  of  occasion  infinite,  to  keep 
The  soul  alert  with  noble  discontent 
And  onward  yearnings  of  unstilled  desire, 
Fruitless  except  we  now  and  then  divined 
A  mystery  of  purpose  gleaming  through 
The  secular  confusions  of  the  world " 


It  is  a  thought  that  comes  again  and  again  at  those 
times  when  one  feels : 

"  Sometimes  in  waking,  in  the  street  sometimes, 
Or  on  the  hillside,  always  unforewarned, 
A  grace  of  being,  finer  than  himself 
That  beckons  and  is  gone." 


"Ordered  Home"  315 

How  shall  we  express  it,  and  how  shall  we  explain  it 
— this  thought  that  comes  and  will  not  go  at  such  an/ 
hour? 

"  Sweet  memories  they  are,  as  they  rise  before  me — 
those  recollections  of  Laurie ;  the  long  years  in  Yale  on 
the  top  floor  of  Lawrance  Hall;  the  journeys  in  the  West 
in  the  intense  days  of  our  life,  learning  some  of  the  deep- 
est spiritual  lessons  that  could  come  to  a  young  man ; 
those  many  times  on  the  island  when  relaxation  was  jus- 
tified and  enjoyed ;  that  wonderful  year  at  Auburn  when 
the  broader  thoughts  of  modern  study  gripped  us  both 
and  we  felt  a  cautious  way  into  a  position  that  should 
combine  the  strongest  elements  of  both  the  old  and  the 
new.  They  are  a  precious  and  permanent  memorial  of 
as  true  a  friend,  as  strong  and  courageous  and  useful  a 
man  as  I  will  ever  know.  His  death  only  increases  the 
power  he  had  over  my  life.  For  in  all  the  college  days 
his  was  one  of  the  strongest  formative  influences  that 
came  to  me.  And  now  that  he  has  so  soon  finished  his 
work  here  I  find  the  example  of  the  dear  friend  still  as 
potent  for  good  as  ever  it  was  when  we  lived  together." 

"  Still  as  potent  for  good  as  ever  it  was."  Truly, 
herein  is  the  marvellous  mystery  of  the  miracle  of  obe- 
dience,— not  that  he  that  willeth  to  do  God's  will  shall 
know  and  do, — shall  finish  his  work — but  that  he  that 
doeth  the  will  of  God  abideth  forever. 


Note  of  the  Subsequent  Progress  of  the  Yale 

Mission 

For  four  months  there  was  no  representative  of  the 
Yale  Mission  on  the  field.  Brownell  Gage  ('98)  and  his 
wife  reached  China  in  March,  1904.  On  their  way  they 
had  a  protracted  conference  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thurston 
in  California,  on  the  past  and  future  of  the  Mission,  and 
were  joined  in  Shanghai  after  a  few  weeks  by  Professor 
and  Mrs.  Beach.  The  party  proceeded  to  Hankow  and 
visited  Chang-Sha.  After  a  summer  in  Ruling,  the  Gages 
were  joined  in  November  by  Rev.  Warren  B.  Seabury 
(1900),  and  that  winter  was  spent  in  Hankow  on  language 
study.  In  the  spring  of  1905  a  house  in  Chang-Sha,  for- 
merly occupied  by  the  Norwegian  Mission,  was  available, 
and  the  Yale  Mission  was  at  last  established  in  the  city  to 
which  it  had  been  so  strangely  guided.  In  spite  of  dif- 
ficulty in  obtaining  the  land  for  a  permanent  campus,  the 
choice  of  Chang-Sha  has  been  approved  in  the  judgment 
of  all. 

Dr.  Edward  H.  Hume  ('97)  and  Mrs.  Hume  joined  the 
Mission  in  the  summer  of  1905,  and  Rev.  William  J. 
Hail  (1905  D),  in  the  fall  of  1906.  Later  that  same  year 
Mrs.  Thurston  returned  to  the  Mission,  having  spent  the 
two  years  at  home  in  work  among  the  colleges  as  travel- 
Hng  secretary  of  the  Student  Volunteer  Movement. 

A  piece  of  property  on  one  of  the  main  streets  of  the 
city  was  purchased,  after  much  search  and  with  the  neces- 
sary strategy,  and  the  buildings  on  it  were  altered  to  pro- 
vide accommodations   for  a  school  of  thirty  students. 

316 


Subsequent  Progress  of  the  Yale  Mission     317 

Another  house  across  the  street  was  rented  and  fitted  up 
as  Dispensary  and  Hospital.  The  school  opened  Novem- 
ber 16,  1906,  with  thirty  pupils,  chosen  from  a  larger 
number  of  applicants,  and  the  medical  work  was  carried 
on  in  a  quiet  way  that  winter. 

The  loss  of  Mr.  Seabury,  who  was  drowned  at  Ruling, 
July  29, 1907,  seems  almost  irreparable.  Largely  through 
his  untiring  efforts  the  school  property  was  obtained  and 
it  was  possible  to  make  a  good  beginning  in  work.  The 
only  solution  of  the  mystery  is  in  seeing  the  work  as 
God's  work,  and  realizing  that  no  one  human  instrument 
is  indispensable  to  it.  Rather  is  work  like  this  a  special 
opportunity  for  the  preparation  needed  for  the  higher 
service  to  which  God  calls  us.  In  this  view  is  it  not  in  a 
sense  an  honour  to  the  Mission  that  two  men  have  so 
quickly  learned  earth's  lesson  and  been  promoted  to  serve 
their  Lord  where  they  may  "  see  His  face  "  ? 


ESSAYS,  ADDRESSES.  ETC. 


The  Supreme  Conquest  J^'^'^P^^'  sermons 

«-  -J     ^^       Preached  in  America. 

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